A True Hero
by Ragnell13
Summary: There were far more beings best suited for the job than her, yet she was chosen. This is a story of a simple girl who had to learn to be a hero.
1. Prologue: The Worst Suited

**AN: A crossover I wanted to try, let's see what happens.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina nor Zero no Tsukaima**

**Prologue: The Worst Suited.**

Japan, an Asian country lying in the continent's eastern waters; an archipelago of islands a little bit too small for all the people living in it. Throughout history it has suffered great disasters, and continues to do so even nowadays, but this nation has, however, prevailed up until now from very ancient times. This country's culture, while not perfect in any way, has many points to be admired.

But that's not why you are reading this, is it?

Our story, while it doesn't happen in this land, starts in Japan; or to be more specific, in a small province known simply as Hinata. This calm and beautiful town is widely known through the nation for its hot springs, occasionally attracting tourists to visit these splendid baths. At the highest point of this town, built over a hill, surrounded by beautiful sakura trees and the dreaded seemingly eternal flight of stairs, proudly stands the Hinata-Sou, an all-girls dormitory which has proven to be a beautiful place to live in. This building is one of the resting options for those females who visit the town, or at least it is until they hear the rumors…

The all-girls dormitory was once an inn open for general use until its actual owner, Urashima Hinata, decided to convert it and give 5 different girls a roof under which they could sleep as they separated from their families for personal reasons. However, this place has one (or rather many) things which scare people away.

It could be due to the current manager being a male and rumored pervert; it could be the fact one of the tenants is a kendoist able to use ki attacks took out from shonen mangas and always carries a sword; it could be because another girl was a frequent visitor to the local bar and was known for leaving men's wallets empty clean; it could be the fact that they somehow keep nuclear weapons underground or maybe even the fact another tenant can shatter rocks with her fists; whatever the reason is, people avoid the place as much as they can and besides a few, not many have dared stay at such a place.

The only tenant who under society's standards could be considered normal, is a shy, blue-haired thirteen-year-old girl that goes by the name of Shinobu Maehara. This girl, considered cute by some and antisocial by others, is a mere middle school student just beginning to enter into the complicated and frustrating journeys known as love and puberty. Shinobu is very timid, and her willpower is almost non-existent, because of this she doesn't have many friends nor is popular with the boys. She doesn't stand out in anything besides home domestics, and has a low self-esteem as she constantly compares herself in skill and body against the other tenants and comes out losing.

This lack of respect and confidence has been, however, slowly resolving itself after the arrival a few months ago of the current manager and grandson of Hinata, Urashima Keitaro; but even as love has blossomed in this young maiden's heart for the man, the lack of self-esteem has driven her to watch from the sidelines.

It is this little and normal girl who is one of the main characters in this story, or rather the protagonist.

If you did your geography homework you should know Japan has over one hundred million inhabitants. If a lottery was to be held between this entire population with only one ticket as the prize, you will have less than the .000001% of winning, which is of course if someone doesn't have more than one ticket. Even if the contest was to be held solely between the dormitory's tenants, it would be less than the 20% chance of winning. Yet, from all the people available, it was her that was chosen by fate, not for her strength, but for her heart.

In a lone kitchen, in the middle of the archipelago known as Japan, the chosen girl known as Shinobu Maehara was in shock as a greenish portal of something opened before her. She would have screamed or fainted as was her habit, but she was swallowed whole by the oval portal, leading her to a world of fantasy and leaving a certain boy miles away just coming from repairing his laptop without job.

**Division**

Louise Francoise de la Valliére wanted to die. She was seriously considering the option of pointing her wand at herself and being blown apart by the explosion that always came after she finished casting a spell. That would be less painful and humiliating than facing her classmates, which were currently beginning to laugh and mock her in the distance.

The girl was currently standing in the yard of Halkeginia's most renowned magical institution, Tristain's Academy of Magic. Being a mage in training herself and having finally reached the second year of study at the academy she was expected to do the sacred and ancient ritual of familiar summon to call on forth the creature that would serve her for the rest of her life.

There was a problem though…

Louise was known among the school as "Louise the Zero", having a round zero success rate at any magical aptitude and thus not even having earned a runic name; in other words, she was known as a complete and utter failure.

Because of this several of the academy's students, rich and spoiled noble children, use to pick on her. Just yesterday, after miserably failing to use simple alchemy magic to turn stones into anything else, she had been mocked at by two of her female classmates at how poor she was in magic and that she should just give it up. Not one to be intimidated, Louise answered them back and even dared declare that her next day summon was going to be the most sacred, beautiful and strong familiar they have ever witnessed.

Sadly, as had been proved in history over and over, she had failed once again.

Louise was never someone to believe in irrational fantasies, and she knew that what she had told Kirche and Montmorency had not been thought thoroughly, in fact it hadn't been thought at all (Not that her pride would allow her to admit it). She HOPED her familiar would be just like she had told the two: strong, beautiful and sacred. She EXPECTED it to be some sort of creature, no matter how small or insignificant; hell, she would even be okay with an insect as that would be proof of her having at least a tiny amount of magical skill somewhere within her soul.

Reality was far crueler however.

When she had finished casting the summoning spell Louise had originally been afraid that the subsequent explosion had killed whatever familiar she had called forth; now that she saw what she had summoned she wished it had been blown away, that way she could fake nothing had been there in the first place. That would have been better than this.

She had summoned a human. She had summoned a _damn _commoner girl.

And not even a good one.

The girl had cream white skin and blue hair similar to Tabitha's, just that hers was slightly larger yet didn't even reach her shoulders. She wore an odd attire kind of similar to her uniform: a skirt similar to hers but in blue instead of black, yet no cape or any other thing signifying her as a mage; she also had a short-sleeved white shirt with a red tie around her neck, blue socks and what appeared to be a pair of sandals made out of bunny skin as the heads of said animals were currently adorning her feet; Louise was personally disgusted by them.

But the worst part of all was her posture… oh! That damn posture! Just looking at it made Louise red with embarrassment as others saw it too.

The girl had tears forming in her eyes just like some kid who had lost his favorite toy; any moment now Louise expected her to just begin weeping, thankfully she didn't. Also, she held both her hands over her mouth as if trying to protect herself from others, or rather from Louise. All in all, the girl seemed so submissive and so much of a coward she just knew her classmates would never be let to live it down.

And they didn't; in the background, every single noble (Minus Tabitha) exploded in a roar of laughter.

**Division**

I didn't know it back then, but with Louise's potential she could have probably summoned a mightier familiar. Endless worlds and endless beings: ancient dragons, fierce heroes, sacred beasts, renowned emperors… so many people, animals or even plants that would make a worthy familiar for her…

Yet I was chosen.

It had all began like a normal day. One week after the whole affair with Kyoto ended the residents of the Hinata Sou, myself included, had gone back to our routine; our crazy and wild routine. I woke up one morning ready to go to school. I dressed up in my uniform, made sure both Keitaro-sempai and Naru-sempai were up, hid the bananas from Su and tasked myself with the breakfast.

I had been planning to make Sempai's favorite; at least until I was kidnapped.

Just entering the kitchen I found myself facing a greenish oval of light. It was right there, floating in midair as if it was normal for it to. For a moment I thought it was Su's doing; if she could make a gigantic turtle robot or those camouflage suits, then she could do this. Yet it was unknown to me; for all I knew this thing could be dangerous or even radioactive so I set myself to alert the others.

It was then that the oval, unbeknown to be a portal, sucked me similar to the way a vacuum sucked the dust. I tried resisting, I tried to scream, but I couldn't; before I realized it, it had sucked me entirely and thrown me into a whole new world.

I fell through an empty space. It was the gap between worlds, the void dividing one world from another parallel one. Above me I could see a small hole in which the Hinata was reflected, much as if I was inside water. Below I could see a tall and white tower, its structure unlike any other I had seen. I had to admit, the place looked like a good place but nonetheless that wasn't _my _place. I tried screaming, shouting, moving, but I couldn't; my entire body felt numb and didn't respond to any of my commands. I continued to fall until my head touched the window to that other world, and first thing that happens when I arrive is the sound of an explosion.

Out of instinct, I remained still in the pose I use to take whenever I feel nervous or scared: slightly crouched over, head low and hands in front of my mouth. I couldn't see a thing with all the smoke. When it cleared and I opened my eyes, I found myself in the yard of the very tower I saw in that void. In front of me was a pink-haired girl; she seemed to be nervous about something, but when she looked at me she suddenly put a face of pure disbelief and disillusion.

To my left stood a man without a single hair on his head; he had some kind of thing in his hand and was wearing a blue robe. For a moment he reminded me of my professor, that very same aura of seriousness and authority around him. In the background there was a group of people all wearing the same…was it a uniform? ...outfit the girl before me had: white shirts, black skirts or pants and a cape over their backs. With all those strange creatures around them and those people holding wands I couldn't help but think of all this as a fairy tale.

As I looked around me I remained wary in case these people, whom I didn't know in the least, tried to do something to me. Had they brought me here? Why? How? All I could do was become more and more nervous, and for some reason that seemed to tick off the girl before me.

My head was full of questions with no logical answer, and that's when everything began.

The group of students in the background began laughing to the point of shedding tears. As if I didn't already feel bad at the moment, they made it worst by laughing at me, or so I thought…

"This makes what you said yesterday worth it! Only you would summon a commoner as a familiar Zero!" A tan and very busty girl said between laughs.

"That's our Louise the Zero, never failing to meet our expectations!" Another student, this one a boy, said while pointing at the girl called Louise.

At that moment I realized they weren't making fun of me; they weren't even paying me attention; but of the girl in front of me. While knowing that made me calm down a bit, I couldn't help but feel pity for the pinkette. "I only screwed up a little bit!" Surprisingly she confronted them back; looking at her fiery attitude it reminded me of Naru. Turning to the professor she changed to a more pleading tone. "Professor Colbert please let me try the summoning ritual again!"

"The Springtime Summoning Ritual is a sacred event Miss Valliére, you cannot repeat it. If she was summoned as your familiar then you must…" He stopped for a moment to look at me, which made me flinch a little. For just a second his face showed a little bit of surprise, as if he had just realized something; nonetheless he regained composure after a mere second and coughed a little while saying… "Complete the ritual." For some reason his voice had a little less bit of conviction.

And for some another reason, Louise put on a horrified face. "You couldn't mean…" She turned to me. "With her…?" The professor nodded. The students in the background jeered even louder, specially the boys which were behaving with a little resemblance with Kitsune; needless to say I grew even more nervous. The girls among that group simply seemed disgusted by the boys' attitude.

What was going to happen? What was Louise supposed to do with me? Why were these people behaving like this?

Louise seemed to accept whatever was going to happen as she slowly made her way to me. In the background the students kept saying things like _"Come on!"_ or _"Give us a show!" _just to be scolded by the teacher. I was too scared to move, so instead I stiffed more and more as Louise approached until she was just in front of me.

This close I could note we were of the same height, and she was blushing for some reason.

Seeing my nervous expression seemed to irritate her even further. "Could you stop making that face? I want this to be over with as soon as possible." She whispered to me. Lifting her wand, she began chanting what I guessed was a spell. Was she going to turn me into a frog or something by the like? "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Valliére. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; grant your blessings upon this humble being, and make her my familiar." She tapped my forehead softly and after nothing happened I began to relax, but that's when she did _that_.

It happened so fast I couldn't stop her. She took hold of my arms with both her hands and separated them to uncover my mouth. Then, she leaned and kissed me on the lips faster than lightning itself. As soon as she finished she backed away fast and held her mouth in disgust.

So that was what she was supposed to do.

Laughter and jeers erupted from the background after the scene. At the simple thought that my first kiss, that very important part of me which I wanted to give to sempai, had been stolen from me in an instant and with a girl of all things made me reach my limit. Tears began strolling down my face at what had happened and that every one of those who were laughing had saw. Noticing my state Louise directed me a frown. "Calm down could you? It wasn't that important." It was maybe my imagination, but the yard seemed to quiet down a bit to hear my reply.

Between sniffs I answered back at her. "That…that was my first kiss…" My voice was so meek and broken it was a surprise it had been heard at all. After I said that, Louise turned away not being able to endure the sight I was and the guilt she felt. She continued to preserve her tough girl act; after all, that had been her first kiss too and she wasn't crying. In the background things grew even worse.

"Look what you had done Zero! Making a girl cry!"

"Yeah! Stop stealing first kisses from innocent girls, Zero!"

"Not only a failure but a child molester too huh? Zero?"

Feeling a bit of pity for me and deciding the students had gone too far Professor Colbert turned around and scolded them all. "That's enough! You are supposed to be nobles, act like one! Making fun of a fellow student and of the ritual is a disgrace! I won't tolerate any other jokes, understood?" Leave it to a teacher to silence a bunch of bullies; after that was said, everyone silenced and simply walked away.

I dropped to my knees and continued crying, but for a different reason. In my right hand runes were being carved into my flesh. I couldn't take it anymore. I was somewhere far away from home, surrounded by cruel people who were all strangers to me; my first kiss had been stolen without me being able to do a thing about it and now my whole body was in pain. I couldn't take it anymore!

All I wanted to do was to wake up from this nightmare and go back with sempai.

That's right… a nightmare…

This was all a nightmare which was going to end as soon as I woke up. All I needed to do was wake up.

Louise told me something but I couldn't hear it. Losing consciousness, I dropped head first to the ground and remained there, fainted. Everything would be okay; this had been after all a simple nightmare.

**Division**

**AN: Thanks for reading and please review. Until next time.**

**Peace.**


	2. Chapter 1: A Real Fantasy

**AN: I originally planned to continue with Rebellion, but due to the unexpected number of people who liked this story I decided to post the first chapter. Thanks guys, without you writing this would be boring (more than it usually is).**

**Just to make it clear, this fanfic, unlike Rebellion, will be based on the novels.**

**Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own... and so on. Read the one in the prologue.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: A Real Fantasy<strong>

Outside, the night was cold and peaceful, the distant sound of insects and soft cries of the forest creatures fused into a calm symphony. Few stopped themselves long enough to hear and enjoy nightfall's melody, and I was one of those few. It was nothing of a surprise; seeing as there was not a single person in the entire school who I could refer to as a friend. Who wanted them as friends anyway? They are just a bunch of idiots who think themselves better than me just because I can't cast a couple of spells.

Many nights had I sat alone in my room, listening to the symphony playing just outside my window. Tonight, however, was not like the other nights as I was not alone. Today had been a major point in my career as a mage. Just a few hours ago I had successfully summoned a familiar in my first try. Sure, it might have caused another of my infamous explosions, but a success is a success.

A familiar is a mage's eternal partner, acting as an extension of his or her senses and even acting as shield to protect the mage from harm. Some use theirs as reagent collectors destined for the creation of potions. Others prefer to use familiars as means of transportation as long as they have the size and endurance. And others, such as a certain Germanian headache, prefer to simply rub their familiars in others' faces, or rather, on mine.

Though I hate to admit it I am known as a failure all around the school, reason why instead of having a civil talk with me my classmates prefer to call me _Louise the Zero_. Today, however, they were proven wrong; as the familiar I called forth was the mightiest, most sacred beast they ever had the honor to lay their eyes upon.

Or so I wished it had been.

Instead of a dragon or a gryphon I summoned what could be considered the poorest excuse of a familiar ever to be summoned: A human; a pathetic commoner girl.

The familiar is also the manifestation of one's magical power, incarnating the mage's talents and skills. But if my eternal servant is a commoner, who is unable to use magic, does this mean I am truly worthless? Am I really the failure my classmates laugh at and my family looks down from above?

I shook my head hard to stop that train of thought. I was not worthless, just a slow learner. Someday I would be casting fireballs and water projectiles too, just not today nor tomorrow.

Switching the target of my attention, my eyes fell on the figure resting on my bed: the familiar I had summoned. There she was, resting soundly and quietly; a huge difference from the emotional mess she was hours ago.

She was just a little girl; that much could be seen; but she was way too much of a coward. If I had been fated to summon a commoner as a familiar couldn't it had been a warrior? A knight perhaps? Or even a boy? I had to kiss her in front of everyone for crying out loud! But no, it had to be her. Infants' cries paled in comparison to the act she put back at the yard. Never had I seen anyone be so weak, and meek, and submissive. It was unnerving me to no end!

She should have been proud and honored to be summoned by me, or even a bit composed, not break down crying in front of the people I supposedly had to amaze. That of course had to be corrected. Since she would be of no use to me as a normal commoner, she would have to do as my personal maid. And that personality of hers would change too; I don't want her crying each and every time someone speaks too harshly at her.

Sat besides my bed, I saw the girl stir from her sleep, slowly waking up. Well, guess it was time to begin making her role as my familiar clear.

And so she opened her eyes.

**Division**

Light filtered through the curtains and into the room as Shinobu opened her eyes. She was back at her room, surrounded by her teddy bears and laid upon her bed. By the looks of it she had woken up a bit too late. She had missed breakfast, and she would be three classes late for school, but nonetheless the girl was calm.

It had been just a bad dream after all; just a bad and ugly nightmare. It had ended and she would no longer have to be thrown into it again. She was free.

It may have been due to her relief that she failed to notice the figure sitting beside her bed. There, with his round glasses, short brown hair and warm smile was none other than her sempai, Urashima Keitaro.

Shinobu was stunned and embarrassed to see him here. He was the best sight she could ask for after a nightmare, but right now she was a mess. Her hair wasn't combed and she hadn't brushed her teeth. The azure headed was too surprised to speak, only letting out an eep, so it was her sempai who spoke first. "Good morning Shinobu-Chan, are you all right?" He said with the warmest of smiles.

The schoolgirl could only blush at the sun the man was. "Y-yes, thanks for worrying Sempai." Her voice was soft and low, but her sempai still heard it. "Ano…why are you in my room Sempai?" She dared ask.

"OH! Sorry if I surprised you, it's just that you were late for breakfast so I became worried and came take a look at you; seemed to me you were having a bad dream." Keitaro said with genuine worry.

"Yes, a bad dream indeed…" Shinobu shook her head softly, better not think about it. "But I'm okay now, thanks Sempai." And then it clicked into her. "KYA! The school! I'm late!" Ready to jump out of her bed, she was stopped by a gentle arm and held down.

"Calm down Shinobu-Chan, today is Sunday, you didn't miss school and we took care of the breakfast. Don't worry." He was happy to see her calm down just like he wanted her to; there were few things sadder than an unhappy Shinobu.

"Okay then." Looking at the man with adoration and poorly hidden affection, Shinobu couldn't begin thanking her luck at living with the man. "Thanks a lot Sempai."

Rubbing the back of his head with his left arm like he costumed to do, the man brushed the gratitude off. "It was nothing Shinobu-Chan. I just sat down next to you until you woke up."

The girl smiled brightly and softly at the Inn manager. Always so nice to her, always so humble. How could someone like her be worthy of living under the same roof as him? "No Sempai, really, thank you." Shinobu said from the bottom of her heart.

Keitaro continued to rub his head and smile warmly.

"Thank you for what?"

Shinobu snapped back into the reality that was once a fantasy. She was no longer in her room; no plushy animals or teddy bears kept her company, her dresser had been changed for a completely different one and the bright colors that decorated the walls of her private sanctuary no longer seemed welcoming. Even Time itself had morphed and instead of a bright morning she was faced with a cold night.

However, no matter how much her surroundings changed, nothing could compare to the transformation the man she adored had gone trough. He no longer sat by her side, instead she locked eyes with a pink-haired girl with a physic not too different from hers and with a face that revealed more age and experience than she had. While Shinobu's eyes looked at Louise with surprise, confusion, disbelief and even fear, the mage returned her gaze with eyes that judged her in every possible aspect and came out sorely disappointed.

The frown on Louise's face grew deeper at the lack of response from her familiar; she had been waking up before mumbling inaudible nonsense and then finally rising to a sitting position and thanking her for god-knows-what. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Answer when your master asks you something."

Instead of a reply the poor excuse of a summoned servant slowly shook her head over and over. Deep down she knew it yet couldn't accept it. A part of her believed that she should just accept it and move forward while obeying her new master, yet it paled in comparison with the torrent of emotions inside the shy cooker's head. She just continued to shake her head; maybe, if she did it enough times, could she go back to the Hinata sou and her friends; maybe, if she did it with enough strength, would these people leave her alone.

Her shakings grew faster and stronger as Louise's voice grew weaker and softer, until it was inaudible. "Stop it already! You master is calling you…you…you do-…!" The noble didn't finish her rant. Her familiar had ceased all movement and had an expression of pure shock pasted on her face. Shinobu's eyes looked out the window, into the starry sky that adorned the night and focused on the two moons that always floated above; one crimson like the blood, the other cyan like pure water; the former bigger than the later. Looking at those astral bodies so different from the snow white moon shining over Japan, the girl could no longer deny it.

This world was not her world, yet had become _her _world.

This reality was her fantasy, yet it was now _her _reality.

This world before her was now her world and her reality, while the previous ones were now her fantasy.

Reality: The one she didn't want or like yet in which she now lived and had to face and endure. Fantasy: The one she mourned for and missed yet was unreachable by this world's standards of logic and technology.

Shinobu was no longer in the Hinata, nor in Tokyo, Japan or the Earth altogether.

Louise's frown wavered a bit before re-steeling itself, but just before she was going to speak the girl finally reacted. With tears in her eyes and a voice as cracked as dry leafs and as weak as thin ice she asked one question Louise had expected and thought to be ready to answer.

"Where am I?"

At that very instant the girl in front of Louise no longer was an unworthy familiar who failed to give her the respect she wanted and who was constantly crying and shaking; rather, she looked like a little girl who had been taken away by force from wherever her home was and had been told to just sit down a be quiet.

Louise could no longer be angry at the girl.

Shinobu didn't wait for a response; wherever she was definitely wasn't Japan or the Hinata; and just began crying like the little girl she was. As the schoolgirl cried and sobbed, the noble besides her could faintly see a younger version of herself in that very same situation, crying to her older sister because she had been scolded for being a shame to the Valliére family.

"Hey…hey…"

Louise tried calling out to her but Shinobu just kept crying. Stopping her was useless, so much the pinkette could see, she needed time to let it all out. "Calm down, okay?" How log had it been since she used such a soft tone? Or since she acted in such an un-aristocratic way?

It didn't matter; no one saw anyway.

A girl taken away from her world continued to cry her heart out, sad and frustrated at being so far away from home and from her friends. The other continued to speak in a soft voice for the former girl's comfort, even petting her head just like her sister used to do with her. Outside, the nocturnal symphony continued, unheard by all.

**Division**

Morning was, for many reasons, Louise's least favorite time of the day. Waking up had always been an issue to her; yet she had to wake up, for she was noble and had to be early for class, no excuses. Still having half of her mind busy trying to remember what she had dreamed the young noble girl rose and rubbed her eyes. "Huh…?" Realizing she wasn't alone Louise looked besides her to see a stranger girl sleeping on her own bed. "Who…?"

"…Oh! Right…"

Shinobu; the commoner girl with a strange name and even stranger surname who had appeared as her familiar. The previous night had been a long one as Louise had to calm the shaken girl down and then explain the concept of magic, familiars and Halkeginia in general to her. Apparently she was from a far away land in which magic is little more than child stories.

At first, Louise had thought of training her as a servant and personal maid seeing as she had no other use as a proper familiar. Then, realizing the girl was terrified out of her mind at suddenly entering a world unknown to her, Louise lost all desire of keeping her. Guilt was flooding her mind last night and had only calmed down slightly since she woke up, and probably wouldn't until she delivered the girl back to her parents.

Problem was: Where the hell was Japan located?

As to why the girl was sleeping besides her… well, it seemed utterly cruel to go and tell her "You sleep on hay tonight."

Deciding that fretting over the problem wasn't going to get it solved she got off the bed and began to get dressed. It was due to her movements that Shinobu woke up as well. Apparently she had once again dreamed about her alien homeland as deception came to her the moment she became fully conscious. Fortunately the talk they had last night seemed to get the desired effect as the girl showed no signs of crying, instead just being sorely depressed.

Turning around she locked eyes with Louise. "G-good morning Lo… Master." Shinobu was still growing accustomed to speaking to the pinkette, and thanks to the information she got the bluenette deduced "Master" was the right way to refer to the noble. Louise hadn't asked for it, but neither was she going to complain.

"Good morning familiar." The girl had a name; that much she knew, but calling her by it was out of question. She may have agreed to deliver her back to her home, but there were still rules she had to follow such as the interaction between familiar and master.

Shinobu seemed like she wanted to say something, yet didn't come up with a way to say it properly.

"Undress." The girl gave Louise a nervous and confused look. The noble simply sighed. "I can't have you unclean while in my company. That outfit you wear is dirty, take it off your clothes and use some of mine. Then we will go for breakfast." At the mention of food the schoolgirl clutched her stomach; she hadn't even eaten yesterday's breakfast.

"As for your sandals..." She pointed at the bunny slippers; Shinobu had to be a big lover (or hater?) of those creatures to go as far as to wear footgear made with their skin and head. "…leave them and put on a pair of my shoes."

The Japanese did as she was told, and silently changed to a uniform similar to hers but with a black skirt and no tie. Of course, she wasn't wearing a cape; it would offend the nobles for her to wear one while being a commoner. Louise by her side silently cursed the fact that a girl three years younger than her had the same build; she wasn't going to hear the end of it from Zerbst.

Finally being over with the morning ritual of readying oneself, both girls walked towards the dining hall. Louise signaled a maid to take care and wash their clothes as she couldn't bring herself to ask Shinobu to do it.

Seeing as the noble walking in front of Shinobu was about to feed her and restrained herself from ordering the girl around, the bluenette began to think that maybe she wasn't as bad as she originally thought.

**Division**

"_Guess she IS as bad as I thought…" _Shinobu thought as she miserably ate her piece of bread.

The dining hall was majestic, proper of the fairy tale world she was in. She had only seen such places in the books her mother used to read her. Even the palaces in Europe; a little bit rundown from centuries of standing up; weren't a rival to the mirror polished floor, fine wood chairs and tables, gold decorated walls and the magically floating candles at the roof. Even the food seemed delicious; of course, anything seemed edible after 24 hours of starving.

As soon as they had arrived the students gathered began whispering behind their backs and watching them walk. Guess Louise didn't exaggerate when she said her summon was an unusual occurrence. Such things weren't alien to Shinobu, like when Natsumi cruelly told her classmates the fake rumor her lack of growth was due Turner's Syndrome.

But the way Louise dealt with it… The girl was amazed to say the least; the noble didn't even look affected by it at all. Guess she was strong, just like her Naru-Sempai. Too bad that, just as she began to think highly of the girl, it turned out that, as a commoner, she had to eat on the floor and only got a piece of bread.

Her stomach growled loudly demanding her for more food.

As much as she hated the idea, Shinobu couldn't ask for more. This was other world, other culture and other rules. If it came near to what she had read about the Middle Ages, then they could even order her to be beheaded if she didn't behave in front of the aristocracy. She may want food, but she preferred her life over her needs. Thus the girl remained quiet as the nobles above feasted on the food in front of them.

**Division**

Louise was upset, and she couldn't decipher why. Just seeing her commoner familiar want more food yet stay quiet made her want to pull her hair out. It was the right thing to do; nobles eat at the table and commoners at their feet; and she had been educated to act in such fashion, yet …

Oh! That's right! It was called guilt.

The girl was simply too kind! Of course Louise appreciated the obedient familiar, but she had expected a least a little bit of aggression, or rebellion, or anything! She had literally kidnapped the girl for crying out loud! And yet here she was doing what she was told even though it was quite clear she disliked it. Why couldn't she at least ask Louise for a bit more of food? Knowing her attitude up to know, it should be because of fear of upsetting her master.

How could she take such treatment? If she had been her Louise would have sure as hell protested.

Well, didn't matter anyway. Her mind was set. It was her role as master to take care of her familiar, and so she would do! "That's it!" Yelled Louise, finally letting her frustration show. The yell scared Shinobu who had been walking behind the girl until now. She couldn't do a thing as Louise yanked her hand and dragged her away to an opposite direction.

"W-w-where are w-we going?"

"To the kitchen! You are getting a real breakfast!" Said the noble with a voice of authority worthy of her title. She had a frown on her face and tried to seem though, but just like when Naru tried to act as if she didn't care for her sempai, Shinobu could see that behind that mask she was worried for her well being.

Shinobu smiled brightly and stayed silent as she was pulled by the noble girl. Indeed, she had been too quick to judge Louise.

Deep down she really was a nice person.

"You! Maid!" Looking up from her task of preparing some beverages, Siesta saw one of the noble students approach her while dragging a girl along. "Prepare breakfast for my familiar." Commanded Louise and Siesta obeyed.

It didn't take long for the maid to come back with a breakfast similar to the one Louise had eaten; even if Shinobu was a commoner it had been a noble to ask for the food. As the maid returned to her chores, Shinobu restrained herself from devouring the food due to respect for etiquette. Even then she hurried the pace for Louise's sake, who was patiently waiting by her side as she ate. Once ended her meal, Shinobu thanked the chefs as well as her Master.

"Where to now, Master?" The Japanese girl asked Louise with a small smile, finally feeling comfortable around her. Louise kept her serious face, though her satisfaction at Shinobu's improve at her mood was evident.

"Today we have a free day from classes to get to know our familiars. Seeing as we already talked last night I was planning to head to the library and see if we could find anything regarding your world." Louise truly believed Shinobu came from an alien world. Just one day with her was enough to know the girl wasn't one to tell lies.

Said honest girl was about to thank her before they heard a commotion from the kitchen. Having been taken by surprise at the request of an extra meal, the servants were busy preparing and serving the breakfasts of the students who had yet to eat, those who wanted seconds and finally the ones at the yard.

Louise saw the look on Shinobu's face as she asked Siesta what happened and she answered her. She knew those eyes, she looked at them every day in the mirror: the eyes of someone who wants to be useful. "Do you wish to help them? Can you cook?" Inquired the noble girl.

"Huh? Well…I…" Shinobu had been taken by surprise by the sudden question. "I can cook, yes, but…" She didn't want to leave Louise alone, not after the kindness she showed, it would be rude; even if she wanted to help the chefs that had fed her for the same reason.

The noble simply dismissed the issue as irrelevant. "I don't care if you do help them, you won't be able to read our books anyway." So much was true; their languages were greatly different. "You go ahead and help; I will go to the library and meet you at the yard in an hour, okay?"

Smiling at her once again, Shinobu nodded and thanked Louise: Parting ways, both girl went their respective directions.

**Division**

Marto had been busy at work when the girl he had just cooked for a few minutes ago reappeared and offered her help at the kitchen as a show of gratitude. The man had smiled at her innocence and accepted her help due to much insistence from Shinobu and the pressure of his job.

He put her to work as a waitress as he doubted she would be of much use as a cook. The girl happily obliged, but when a chef went to the bathroom and leaved his unready plate open for Shinobu to finish…

Well, let's just say Marto found himself to be dead wrong.

**Division**

"You are a great cooker Shinobu!" Said girl was currently carrying a tray with a cake on it. She was wearing a maid uniform they borrowed to her while helping the people at the kitchen. I was still a few minutes before the meeting time with Louise and she was bringing her last cake to a table at the yard. By her side, Siesta, who had become her work partner, complimented her cooking as they walked side by side.

Shinobu was flustered. To tell the truth, it hadn't been all that amazing. She just saw a plate needing to be finished and she did what was her only talent, cook it. Even in this alien world, most ingredients were familiar to her so she finished the orange duck with a bit of the cooking style that was typical of Japan.

Guess foreign food was well received as the chefs themselves were impressed with her job, and the noble who had eaten the roasted bird had even sent her his compliments.

"It was nothing really Siesta-Sempai, just a bit of my country's traditional food." Siesta was still put off by the honorifics (Whatever they were) Shinobu used to refer to others, but as far as the girl had explained, it was simply to show respect for a superior. In this case, Shinobu's superior in work.

"Don't underestimate your skill. Even Marto was impressed by it, and that is hard to accomplish." That must be true, as the man offered a job as a chef to a thirteen-year old the instant he tasted the dish.

"Well, yeah, but…" Their conversation was cut as some academy student signaled for Siesta to bring him a cake. Bidding farewell until their turns were over, Shinobu walked up to her respective table before being held back by another student.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where is Mr. Guiche?" The girl had long brown hair, a brown cape and was carrying a picnic basket while smiling. She must be a kind one, as she addressed Shinobu with an "excuse me" instead of "servant" or "commoner".

Thinking on the name, Shinobu couldn't quite say if she had heard it or not. Anyway, besides Louise she didn't know any other student. She was about to give the girl a negative when someone called to her. "Maid, is the cake ready yet?" The one to ask was the boy Shinobu was supposed to give the cake to. Guess she was late.

And rather lucky.

"Mr. Guiche!" Happy, the girl seemed to forget about Shinobu and walked up to meet the young man. It seemed like that was Guiche. As she prepared to follow, Shinobu looked down to see a crystal bottle filled with purple liquid. Whatever it was, it fell from the girl's basket just now, so out of politeness the temporal maid picked it up and walked up to the table.

She had missed the start of the conversation, so she didn't quite get what was happening. It seemed like the brunette, Katie, was going for a picnic with the Guiche boy; the teenager, however, seemed to carefully choose his words when answering her as a second girl stood by listening to the conversation with a face full of suspicion.

Not wanting to upset anybody, Shinobu waited until whatever they were discussing came to an end. It seemed like the blonde curly girl decided there was nothing wrong between Katie and Guiche, much to the latter's relief, as they had yet to say something that proved her boyfriend's cheating. Agreeing to talk in private with Katie later, Guiche and the blonde were about to leave under the excuse they had to get to know their familiars.

That's when Shinobu's luck shattered.

"E-excuse me." Out of her kind nature, Katie was the only one to pay her attention. "You dropped this." The bluenette said while lifting the bottle for the brunette to see. By her reaction, it seemed it was important to her.

"My perfume! Thank you!" Taking it from Shinobu's hands, Katie held it with evident relief. That reaction, however, attracted the attention of the retreating blondes, or rather, of the female one.

"Your perfume? This is mine!" Montmorency aggressively took the bottle from Katie, inspecting it closer and confirming that it indeed was hers. "Guiche! Why does she have the perfume I gave you!"

"Why? Mr. Guiche gave it to me last night." That said, both girl turned to the boy with intent gazes; one more deadly than the other; and waited for a response.

Guiche, for lack of better word, was screwed. Not only was he about to be caught, but the surrounding students were attracted by the commotion. Looking around frantically, the boy tried to come up with an excuse. Then, his eyes fell on Shinobu and he got the idea he needed.

"You see ladies, this is all a misunderstanding. It was the maid's fault."

"Huh?" Was the general response, even from the uninvolved students.

"Allow me to explain. It is true I gave Katie a bottle of perfume, but it is not the one you have here. That one is still mine from when Montmorency here gave it to me as a present."

"Really?" Lifting one of her frowns, the curly blonde put a face that told she wasn't quite buying it. "Explain."

"That perfume is mine; I must have dropped it by accident out of carelessness." By now, Guiche was sweating bullets as he continued his story. He could only hope for the servant to be of help. "Katie's bottle is similar to yours as it came from your family's gardens, but is a bit different as it was not done by you Montmorency."

Guiche turned to Shinobu. "It must have been a mistake on her part. I was the one to drop it, isn't that right servant?" He addressed Shinobu. The girl, genuinely thinking there was misunderstanding, told the truth to avoid further confusion.

"Sorry, but no. Miss Katie here was the one to drop it." Guiche could hear his escape shattering like glass; he was screwed.

"So you DID give my perfume to her. What's more, what were you doing with this first year last night?"

"Why nothing my dear…"

"Nothing? Mr. Guiche, you said you were anxious to taste my pastries and have a picnic with me."

"Well…"

"Guiche!"

"You see…"

"Mr. Guiche."

"…" Everyone waited for his response. "It wasn't me?"

Screwed. "CHEATER!" both girls yelled in her face and Montmorency even delivered a slap to his face. Storming off, they left Guiche in humiliation in front of his classmates. They were teasing him at how he was caught; Shinobu guessed it was a common thing in this school.

Turning to leave, the little chef was stopped by Guiche. "Hold it!" Rising, he tried to save as much of public face as he could. "The honor of two ladies has been tarnished thanks to the misunderstanding you caused. How will you answer to it?"

"What?" Shinobu asked in surprise; she was truly confused as to why it was her fault. "What did I do?"

"Your lies have created a grave misunderstanding, and as a noble I demand you take responsibility."

"H-how?"

Guiche smiled arrogantly; she had her. "First of all, apologize. Then you will help me clear this mess by confessing your lies in front of those two young ladies."

Shinobu didn't quite get why it was her fault, how did she create a misunderstanding, and why she had to apologize; but Louise had been clear in one thing: she was a commoner, he was a noble.

She had to obey. "I-I-I am so…"

"GUICHE!" A yell interrupted the scene. Both maid and noble turned to see the circle of students part as they let a furious Louise pass. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF BURIHELUM DOYOU THINKYOU ARE DOING TO MY FAMILIAR?"

"Huh?" Upon closer inspection, the maid turned out to be indeed Zero's familiar. Composing himself, Guiche prepared his story. "Your familiar here, Zero, has caused a…"

"SHUT UP!" Louise was, in total meaning of the expression, red with anger. "I SAW EVERYTHING; DON'T TRY TO PUT THE FAULT ON HER WHEN IT WAS YOU WHO TWO-TIMED!"

At this, the surrounding students began to laugh at Guiche; he had been completely caught. Growling, the noble looked angrily at Louise. "As expected of the Zero."

If the insult affected Louise it didn't show. She grabbed Shinobu's hand and walked away, until both were in private away from the students. Appreciating her help, Shinobu was about to thank her master. "Ano… master, thank…"

"Don't."

?

Turning to face her, Louise showed a frown on her face; but rather than a disapproving one, this was full of worry. "Don't do that again." She said seriously.

"But I-"

"But nothing. I saw what happened; you did nothing wrong, yet was about to give Guiche the reason. Why?"

"Be-because I am a commoner."

"That's still wrong!" Louise grabbed Shinobu by the shoulders. "How can you do it? How can you think so lowly of yourself? Don't you have even a little amount of pride?"

Shinobu looked at the noble with teary eyes; she had seemed pathetic hadn't she? "But I…"

"But what?" Louise wanted an answer once and for all. Up until now, this girl had done nothing but feel sad yet hadn't spoken of it or protest. Even as a commoner, that was plain wrong.

"But I am not as strong as you or them. I'm just a silly schoolgirl."

"Strong? I have been unable to cast even the simplest of spells besides your contract, they call me the "Zero", I haven't even reached the dot level of magic and you call me strong?"

"Bu-bu-but you are strong master. Even after all of that…"

"Exactly! I admit it, at the beginning it was hard and it still is; I even cried because of it from time to time; but even then you don't see me giving up, or crying my eyes out. You know why?"

"W-why?"

The look on Louise's face, from anger, changed to one of seriousness. "Because I want to be like my sister; because I want to bring honor to my name; because I want to show them all wrong, to prove I can be a real mage! Because I have a goal."

"Don't you have one? Something you want to achieve? Someone you admire?"

Shinobu's eyes snapped open. "Someone I admire?"

"_Sempai…"_

"Well…there is someone."

"Why?"

"Because… even if things are hard, even if he isn't the strongest or smartest, he refuses to give up on his dream; and I, want to be like that."

"Then do it." Louise sighed. "Listen, it was my fault you were brought here, and under my name I promise you I will find a way to take you home."

Shinobu didn't know what to say; was this girl caring that much for her? "But…" This took her attention again. "…only if you promise to try to be like that man, and stop thinking of yourself as a good for nothing."

Tears streamed down her face. She wanted to seem hard but, Louise was really nice. "Really?" She asked happily. Besides Louise, Keitaro and granny no one had ever told her she could be like that.

"Yes. You just continue to behave in front of nobles, and I will make sure to protect you from people like Guiche okay? No need for you to doubt about it."

"Thank you, Louise-San!" Shinobu immediately covered her mouth; the word had slipped her tongue.

Louise just smiled amusedly. "It's okay, I am your master after all; it is my job to protect you."

"Oh! And…" Shinobu waited for her to finish. "Drop the "San" thing; it sounds of bad taste next to my name." She said proudly. Louise didn't really mind not being called Master.

The surprised face on the cook's face lasted a couple of seconds, before being replaced with the brightest of smiles; one that Louise found herself being infected of. "Thank you, Louise! You are a very good friend!"

The noble was startled. _"friend?"_

She turned to the still smiling Shinobu. Friends? With her? A commoner?

Seconds passed, until Louise smiled back at the girl.

Yeah. Guess this was what it felt to have friends.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you liked it and plese review. If you found any mistake, please tell me.<strong>

**Well the, until next time.**

**Peace.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Meaning of Weakness

**Disclaimer: I own neither Zero no Tsukaima nor Love Hina. If you sue me, shame on you!**

**Also please read the notes at the end of the chapter in case you have doubts about the story.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: The meaning of weakness<strong>

It was a curious thing, Louise had to admit, the way her familiar and friend dealt with her emotions.

From the moment she arrived up until the issue with Guiche she had been nothing but a pathetic, pitiful girl. She had first cried her heart out, later to simply fall into depression. She had not protested with anything Louise had told her to do, and when the noble had been kind to her, her face had put on a forced smile. Finally, with her idiot of a classmate, she had been submissive; not the same way she had been with her. With Louise, she had been scared of not knowing what was happening; with Guiche, she had felt terror of what the boy could do to her if she didn't obey.

Now things were quite different. After she had dealt with the issue, and accepted the friendship from a commoner, the girl had changed for better. She was beginning to grow accustomed as well as fascinated with her magic world; and she meant SERIOUSLY fascinated. It was like seeing a seven-year-old during a carnival.

Well, it was better than crying she supposed.

Not everything was perfect though. At times, the bluenette would suddenly look into nothingness, no doubt thinking about her own world and friends; such action only managed to put more guilt on Louise's heart, urging her to find a way back to Shinobu's world.

Another thing Louise had noticed was that while her familiar was happy lately, it was solely on either her company or that of the maid she made friends with. Never would you see her alone without them by the side. She would follow Louise around as much as she could, and the go help out at the kitchen (Shinobu apparently wanted to make herself useful, thing Louise was grateful for) and meet Salsa… or was it Silvia?

Whatever.

The point was that Shinobu was like a child (Even more of a child) with Louise and the maid as her parents. Sticking to them brought her a feeling of security, especially since one of them could make things blow up with solely a wood stick; separating from the girl would only make her confused and scared.

Louise sighed. The mess she had created.

"_But, I have to admit…" _She turned her head around to look at her familiar, who was fascinated with the class Professor Colbert was giving. Realizing she was being watched, Shinobu looked at Louise questioningly, before returning the gesture with a smile of her own.

"…_it feels quite nice to have a friend." _Paying attention to the front, Louise made a mental note of supporting the girl as much as she could to adapt to her new environment.

She was, after all, her master.

**DIVISION**

I was happy.

Snow fell all around me, softly falling on the ground; the entire landscape was covered in snow, as if a white blanket had been extended all over the ground. It was late at night, around 10:00 or 11:00 o'clock; I didn't really know. Searching for Sempai all over the town made me lose track of time. The Christmas lights that adorned the trees and houses shined even brighter than before, a symphony of colors before my eyes.

The night, the snow, the lights; it was a beautiful sight to behold.

The winter holidays were like a cheer for my soul. Whenever they took place I would feel alive and excited; it had been so since I was five. And I wasn't the only one in the mood. Seated all around the table were my friends, drinking, eating and talking among them. They invited me to join, and I accepted; nervously denying Kitsune's offer to taste alcohol and blushing as Sempai chatted with me.

It was Christmas for the tenants of the Hinata Sou, all enjoying along their manager. Todai stood high besides us; our celebration ending up there as the search for Sempai lead us besides the building. It didn't matter though; even if we weren't inside our dormitory, enjoying ourselves in the middle of the snow left a strange and warm sensation inside us.

We were sure to catch a cold later.

None of us cared.

Distancing myself from the celebration for a couple of seconds, my eyes fell upon the university. Todai: the College of highest level through the nation. Not only was it almost impossible to enter, but it assured success to those who took the challenge by offering jobs to their graduates. But among all, this was the university both Sempai and Naru wanted to go to.

For a moment I pictured myself and Sempai going together towards the entrance gates of Todai, held by hands and smiling to each other. We would confess our mutual affection, making Todai's old "Eternal Love" legend turn out true.

In the end of it, I shook my head hard.

Not only was it impossible for someone like ME to enter such place, but Sempai would have to fail several more years for me to catch up and not to mention he had Naru-Sempai as well. I didn't know if they were trying for Todai due to the legend, or if they harbored feelings beyond friendship for each other, but something in the back of my mind; intuition maybe; told me Naru was fated to be with him.

There was no place for me.

No way could a silly, weak, childish, flat-chested girl like me would even dream of applying for the university, much less making a man like Sempai fall for her. He cheered me up whenever I was down, and I put a brave face to ease his worries, but deep down I knew the truth: I was useless; besides cooking, no one else recognized me. I constantly imagined that if someone else came to the dormitory; someone smarter, stronger or braver than me; who also knew how to cook everyone would forget about me soon.

They DID forget my birthday after all; had it not been for Sempai that would have been a lonely and bitter day for me.

But No! I couldn't continue thinking of such things!

This was Christmas: a time to share and love, to be between family and friends. Even someone like me had friends. It wasn't right to just stand here and ignore them.

So I made my way back to the party table, my mind full with the intent of enjoying myself.

I talked, I ate, I laughed, I drank and I cheered.

I was happy.

…Until they faded.

**DIVISION**

Morning was by far my best time of the day. Almost every single day I wake up with barely any effort at all to begin my duties. It could be because I go to sleep early, or simply my metabolism, but the firsts hours of light were my best.

Because of that I had no problem getting out of Louise's bed as soon as the first rays of light entered by the window and filtered through the curtain. Looking at my "Mistress" I whispered a silent apology before focusing on my tasks. I was so used to hugging something when asleep; may it be a plushy or Su when she sneaked in; that Louise had become my substitute teddy bear.

It was awkward for both of us; two girls hugging in one bed is embarrassing enough without both of them being each other's first kiss. As much as I wanted to stop and give her some peace, old habits were hard to break.

I directed myself to the closet and opened it, revealing many pieces of clothe of the same outfit: the academy's uniform. Since the only thing I had to wear was my own school uniform, Louise often lent me some of her clothes. Every time I wear them I feel like I could grab a broom and go flying, but even so I abstain myself from wearing a cape; out of respect for those who ARE mages.

I also think Louise kind of hates the fact a girl three years younger than her has the same lack of curves; and I thought I was the unfortunate one. Poor her.

In the middle of my arrangement my pink-haired friend woke up. Unlike me, she had a natural disdain for mornings, reason why she rubbed her eyes softly as half her mind was still sleeping.

Out of politeness I handed her a cup of tea; she insisted I didn't need to serve her as a maid now that we were friends, but since I didn't want to simply slack around freely, I set myself to help as much as I could. Taking the steaming cup while giving me an automatic thanks, she drank the brown liquid. A couple of seconds later and one could see the full state of awareness in her eyes.

Yawning and stretching a bit, she greeted me. "Good morning Shinobu."

"Good morning Louise." I responded in kind with a smile.

Stepping out of her bed and beginning to get dressed up along with me, our conversation started. "Shinobu, do you know what day is tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? It would be the seventh day since my arrival, yet I had no idea what that meant. "No, I don't, why?"

"Tomorrow is the Void Day. We have the entire day free. As of that, both you and I will go to the town." My mind immediately filled with images of mages flying around with brooms, strange creatures walking down the streets, and even a talking cat in charge of a store.

As my eyes (Rhetorically) shined with anticipation… "Really? Great! I wonder how a magical town looks like." …another question came to my mind. "But why for?"

Louise closed her eyes slightly, looking at me with an expression that clearly showed resentment at my person. "To get you your own bed."

I nodded as an apology. It was easy to tell what she was referring to.

Once finished dressing, Louise took her wand and put on her cape, fully ready. "Let's go then. Breakfast will be served soon." Following behind her, I sighed internally. There was still something left for Louise to do before eating:

"Good morning, Valliére."

Fight.

"Good morning…Kirche." Louise greeted back with clear irritation in her voice; while some might consider it rude of her, I, among others who knew this two well, could realize that Kirche's least intention on her morning greetings was to be polite.

I wasn't sure if I should be proud or ashamed of being used to people like Kirche. Kitsune's influence is starting to affect me I guess.

"Did you sleep well?" Oh, here we go. "Well, of course you did. You had your cute familiar to make you company after all." Kirche had just declared war.

"Shut up." It wasn't that the fire mage had actually seen us sleep together, it's just that Kirche had a mind set to tease Louise; and when she asked us how did we sleep…let's just say my face and Louise's stuttered denials gave Kirche all the ammo she needed.

And god did she like to fire.

"Now then, that's rather rude don't you think? You should be a little more feminine, like me." She finished that last statement with a pose of pride: the fingers of one hand touching her chest, the other hand by her side, face filled with confidence and breasts puffed out.

Those breasts…why can´t I be a little more…developed?

"And I suppose I should also go around flirting with every boy I see? I don't have the time for such things." Louise answered back; little by little things were getting worse, reason why I took one step back.

"You are right. I bet you are quite busy practicing magic, not that it really results you." Correction, two steps back.

Annoyed, Louise raised her voice and tried looking imposingly in front of her classmate; sadly, difference in height and bust stripped her of any real intimidation. "I'm perfectly able to cast magic, or get a boyfriend for that matter!"

In turn, Kirche gave her _the look, _a gaze with eyes akin to those of a wolf about to prey on a rabbit. Thank god I was more like the kitten that was hidden in the bushes. "Says you, Zero."

She did it.

War began.

"How did you call me? You stupid boob-freak!"

"What was that? Flat chested zero!"

And so it went for a couple of minutes, both girls throwing curses and insults like there was no tomorrow. Some of them I had heard, others were alien to me, and there were even some things that made my face turn red at what they implied.

By the sidelines, I waited. Inside me, there was a strange mixture of pity, admiration and resignation. Pity for Louise; after all, she had to go through with this every single day. That was also the very same reason I admired her; had I been her I would have quitted long ago, yet she kept going. I could see a bit of Sempai in her.

As for the resignation…

Well, this was pretty much going to be my daily routine until further notice.

I sighed.

**DIVISION**

After realizing they were late for breakfast, the cat fight was halted until next time Louise and Kirche met again.

Fuming, Louise and I walked to the dining hall, my ears full of protests and curses directed to the Germanian girl.

As we neared the table, we parted ways; Louise to her seat, and I to the kitchen. Even if my pinkette mistress insisted in that I didn't have to, I liked making myself useful at the kitchen. I wasn't all that good at cooking, but since the meals I made were foreign to them most of the students seemed to like it.

And Louise loved taking advantage of that.

She had given me the explicit order to cook for her and _only_ her, allowing me to make an exception for Siesta who I was teaching my cooking to. This, of course, made those students that had tasted my food before to glare at the noble girl with jealously, thing Louise felt proud of. She especially liked tormenting a certain fat boy who called her names at times. She let him taste a bit of my cooking once, and since then she delighted in _slowly_ eating in front of him.

Poor him…Malicorne was it?

As for me, breakfast was also good. As much as she tried, Louise didn't get me permission to eat at the hall; it would be a sign of disrespect. So instead I ate at the kitchen along the servants, sharing stories of my world whenever they asked. They were all nice people, especially Martou-San.

That is, as long as he doesn't try to kiss me again…

Once breakfast was done with, we walked to the classroom; I didn't need to go, but I wanted to. No matter how many times I go, I never get bored or fed up with the lessons like some students do. It was all so surreal! Alchemy, elemental control, summoning and tons of more things were taught to us by Miss Chevreuse.

How I wish I could cast magic…

Nonetheless, I always pay attention to what they are saying. Who knows? Maybe one day I could cast magic too.

"You still trying?" Asked Louise as we walked side by side, the library being our destination; it had been for the entire week now, yet we still couldn't find anything from my world. It's okay though, I already feel somewhat confortable being here.

"Yes. You don't mind, right?" I asked tentatively. Louise had been patient with me, explaining any doubt I had about her world, but at any moment she could get tired of me.

I put the wand I had been waving around down. For all I knew, I trying to get the spell we saw at the class could be an insult to her.

Luckily, it wasn't.

"By all means, continue. If you end up being a mage it would be a very nice surprise." She said with a straight face and I visibly relaxed.

To many that would have seemed like Louise tried to make me less, but I knew otherwise. It wasn't that she wanted me to be a mage so her reputation around school could be restored; even if she did want that; it was that Louise had faith in that I could do it.

She had faith in me!

Thanking her for a hundredth time, we continued our way; my lips going over chants again and again trying to ignite the tip of Louise's wand.

**DIVISION**

As it turned out, the city of Tristain wasn't like Shinobu expected it to be; things weren't as "magical" as she would have wanted. Most part of the town was inhabited by commoners, and the district of residence for nobles was at the far side of the town. Even so, simply sightseeing was enough for her, and she continued to walk besides Louise as the Pinkette silently thanked there was no other mage in the vicinity; it would have been a real embarrassment if Shinobu began acting like a child in a party at the first sign of magic.

Knowing the city like the palm of her hand, Louise navigated through the streets. She walked with pride and confidence, carrying herself the way any noble should. People would glance at her as she passed besides them, their eyes landing on the pentagram branding her as a noble and wondering why would she be there.

While not completely dangerous, the district the girls were currently in was full of shops few mages ever visited: weapons, forge, food market, etc. The place was meant for commoners to transit, not nobles. On top of it all, there had been cases when someone was bold enough to try and rob a passing-by noble; and while not many attempts succeeded, Louise was clearly a student and thus less of a threat.

"_Hope this is enough for her." _In truth, Louise didn't like being there for no reason at all, but the mattress for Shinobu was already bought and being transported to the academy. Because of that both girls ended up with quite some free time, and as Louise's familiar didn't want to return just yet (Her ass hurt like hell after the horse ride) the noble decided to simply show her around.

She had been reluctant to go as far as walk around the slums, but if it pleased her friend it was enough.

As annoying as it was, the more confortable she could make Shinobu feel, the better.

So caught up was Louise in her thoughts, that she almost didn't notice her companion stopping abruptly. "What´s the matter Shinobu?"

"Didn't you hear it?" Louise tilted her head in confusion, and tried to focus on listening whatever had caught up Shinobu's attention. She got nothing.

"Hear what?"

"Someone is calling me." She answered.

In a matter of seconds, Louise had her wand at hand and her eyes were looking from one alley to another. She knew it was a bad idea to visit the slums; it was full of thieves and pickpockets. For once, Louise saw the utility to her screwed up spells. If anyone dared to take advantage of Shinobu's obvious unfamiliarity to the city, she would blast the bastard outside the continent!

As that thought entered her mind, Louise stopped and wondered. Why was she so worried over Shinobu? Somehow, the girl's safety was a priority over her own. Was it because they were friends?

Yes. That was why.

Louise was a noble, her magic at the disposition of Tristain. Shinobu was a defenseless girl lost in a foreign land; a land she had been forcedly summoned to by Louise; she was responsible for her. Shinobu was also her familiar. It would take a failure of a master to let his or her familiar come to harm.

Louise had enough failure in her life, mind you.

But most of all, Shinobu was her friend, the first ever since arriving at the academy, the first she could talk to without fear of mockery, the first one that would keep her welcomed company, the first one to express admiration for her, the first one to have faith in her; faith that she could become more than what others thought her to be.

The first one, ever since arriving at the academy, that wouldn't think of her as a Zero.

With her as a familiar, Louise couldn't allow herself to fail; even less to allow harm come to the bluenette.

"Hey! Over here!" This time, the noble girl heard the voice as well. It was rasp and metallic, almost as if someone was talking with an iron helmet on its head. Turning towards the source of the voice, Louise saw it came from around the corner of another street.

Shinobu for her part was having an inner struggle. Many, many times had she been told never to listen to strangers on the street, neither to heed their calls nor follow their requests. This rule, told from father to son for generations, made even more sense when added to the facts Shinobu was in another world, in the middle of the slums; nest to thieves; and in company of an obvious aristocrat while being defenseless herself. All common sense dictated that she should turn around and return to the academy; even if it meant riding by horse for three hours straight.

But there was something else.

Something inside her; speaking to her, tugging her; affirmed that there was nothing to fear, that she should answer the call as she had answered Louise's. It was an inner voice, different from the one that echoed through the empty street. This one had no tone nor did it speak words, yet Shinobu could perfectly understand it. It was part of her, new in comparison to the rest of her entity.

Somehow, Shinobu knew the voice called _her_. Somehow, she knew no danger would present should she double the corner and find the source of the summoning; in fact, she felt as if it would be safer to heed the call rather than ignore it.

May it be due to intuition, curiosity or simple stupidity; probably the three of them combined; but Shinobu walked towards the voice.

Louise was honestly surprised when her familiar walked past her. She was just about to turn around and bid farewell to the dump they were at when Shinobu apparently decided to ignore everything that common sense existed for. And she was worrying about this girl?

Sighing, she hurried to catch up. Turning the corner, both girls came upon a desert street full of shops and markets lined in long succession.

"What are you doing?" Louise held Shinobu's arm and pulled her back, asking her question with toughness in her voice.

"Louise…I…" The young cook had been surprised by Louise intervention, and mentally scolded herself for forgetting that her wishes weren't the only ones that counted at the moment.

"Come on! Over here!" The voice called again, louder and obviously growing impatient.

Louise frown deepened and she pushed Shinobu behind her. Lifting her wand to the air, and internally gathering her willpower, the mage addressed the voice. "Who calls? Show yourself!"

Louise and Shinobu were the only ones at the street, which had fallen eerily silent after Louise ended speaking. All that could be heard were the breaths of the girls being held in anticipation, and the wind passing through and ruffling their hair and clothes. The girls paid those sounds no mind. They waited for the voice's answer.

And they got it.

And all the tension promptly ended.

"I'm not talking to you! Mind your own business!"

Louise eye twitched. Whoever was talking dared speak with such indignation that it would seem that it was Louise who was doing wrong. He or she had dared to _speak_ like _that_ to _her_. "H-h-how dare you talk to a noble in such way? Stop hiding and face me!"

"I'm not hiding, girl! And stop your rambling; I got things to discuss with the other one!" Shinobu sweet dropped. When had all the tension and worry suddenly gone to?

"If we can't see you then you are hiding! And show respect, you filthy dog!"

"Who are you calling a dog? You loud-mouthed banshee!"

"B-banshee? I dare you to repeat it dog!"

"You deaf? I said you are a LOUD-MOUTHED BANSHEE!"

Finally, Louise snapped. This was the first time Shinobu saw it happen outside her fights with Kirche. "THAT'S IT! Where are you, you dirty animal? I will punish you like the scoundrel you are!"

"Over here, girly! Want a piece of me? Let me go over there to smack you in the-!"

"DERF!" If it was possible, the loud fight was interrupted by a louder shout of anger. "STOP PESTERING THE PASSERBYS OR I WILL HAVE YOU MELTED!"

"Mind your own business salesman!" Curious; and furious; as to who was talking both girls entered a weapon shop by the middle of the street. Once inside they laid their eyes on a very bizarre scene:

"Is it not enough you argue with my customers? Now with random people as well?" The owner of a weapon´s shop yelling to a barrel…

…and the barrel answering back. "Says the guy who likes cheating on the customers!"

Shinobu couldn't contain her surprise as her eyes widened and jaw dropped. "Louise is that…is that sword talking?" Effectively, at the front of the barrel filled with old and rusty weapon, an equally old and rusty sword was moving on its own, yelling to the man. Its quillion rose and dropped acting as the object's mouth.

"It seems like it is a sentient sword." Louise said, her own surprise temporally making her forget that just half a minute ago the very object of her awe had called her a banshee.

The shopkeeper halted his fight with the merchandise long enough to pay the girls a look. And what a look it was! His blood ran cold, his face paled and he began sweating; one of the girls, of long pink hair and proud posture, wore the pentagram of the elements as an emblem. Meaning: the damned sword had just insulted a noble mage. _His_ damn sword had insulted this girl. "My lady! My noble lady! I have no words to express how sorry I am! I humbly apologize for all the trouble this cursed strap of iron has caused you!"

Hearing the man apologize in such a fashion reminded Louise of where she was and why. She turned towards the man several years older than her with a voice full of authority and anger. "And apologize you should! If you can't control this sword I will make you accountable for its actions!"

As Louise continued berating the man, and the salesman continued apologizing while bowing, Shinobu made her way to the sword. "You are the one that called me, right?" She said softly, fearing to interrupt the other conversation; nonetheless, the awe and marvel in her face and voice were as clear as day.

"Yup! That's me! I felt your presence and realized you were a user and a possible partner. You see…-what are you doing?"

Shinobu had her hand halfway to reaching the sword. Both that inner voice and the little girl inside of her told her to hold the sword. And hold the thing did she want! "Can-can I touch you?"

If it could have, Derflinger would have smirked. "Well of course! I give you my permission. Go ahead and marvel!"

Taking advantage of the permission she got, Shinobu allowed her fingers to lightly touch the rusted blade. It felt cold and raspy on contact, yet there was some sense of familiarity with the feeling; as if the sword radiated welcomed warmth.

That's when it happened.

The runes in her left hand, the ones that she had got from her contract with Louise, shined with a bright, white light. Immediately, Shinobu felt her body fill with a strange sensation. She felt _powerful_, as if punching through the wall was child's play. Shinobu felt as if she could run for miles nonstop, climb the highest mountains barehanded, and defeat the mightiest of beats by herself.

Her mind then remembered things she never learned: how to brandish a sword, the way to move, to swing, to parry and dodge. The different styles of swordsmanship came to her, and in a second she could tell which one of all was the best suited for a weapon like the one she was touching. Even the forms Motoko practiced every morning suddenly acquired names she had never been told about.

Instinctively, the girl retracted her hand. The feeling of power and familiarity immediately disappeared, and Shinobu stared at her left hand as if it was another's. "Incredible…" She softly said under her breath.

The sword's rhetorical smirk widened. "Of course I´m incredible; do you know who I am? I am the legendary Derflinger!" The sword proudly said.

Shinobu didn't recognize the blade's name, nonetheless she was impressed; probably because it used the word "legendary". "So you really are a magical sword! M-my name is Shinobu, pleased to meet you Derflinger-San."

"The pleasure is mine girl. You are the first in many years to recognize my greatness."

"Really?" The sword may be rusty and old, but the young girl had trouble imagining why no one else would appreciate its value. It talked for Kami´s sake!

"Really! You know what girl? I like you enough to let you be my partner."

"P-P-PARTNER?" Shinobu's shout of surprise and disbelief caught the attention of the other two occupants of the room. Both Louise and the Salesman kept quiet to try listen to whatever had made the girl react in such a way.

"Yes, partner. Just throw some gold to the man over there and I will be yours to wield!"

"Missy, you want _that_ sword?" The shopkeeper had not a single idea as to why would anyone want that cursed sword. Then again, this was an opportunity to get rid of the metallic bastard and be done with it.

Louise waited for her familiar's reaction. Honestly, she had thought of getting Shinobu a weapon as means of personal defense. Who knew when someone like Guiche would try to take advantage of her? But she didn't like the idea for two reasons: First, the image of Shinobu wielding a weapon seemed very, VERY wrong for some reason; and second…

That scrap of rusted iron called her Banshee!

"_Well…"_ Louise shook her head to contain the boiling anger; she would find something or someone to help her release steam; especially if that someone was tanned, red-haired and criminally busty. _"It's Shinobu's decision. If she wants it, I won't mind."_

"I would really like to buy you…" The salesman held an internal celebration- "…but I am not a warrior, and I don't have enough money." -that suddenly died the moment Shinobu pronounced those words.

"On the contrary missy! You have many reasons to get a sword!" The man quickly intervened. He was bidding farewell to Derf one way or another! "Lately this thief, Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt, has been robbing from nobles all around the kingdom. He has got the aristocracy trembling in fear. A sword would let you protect yourself and your friend too, don't you think?" He had no idea if the bluenette girl was a noble too, but there was a high probability she indeed was and his excuse would carry more value.

"Protect myself and Louise?" She wondered. Her supposed role as familiar was to protect Louise, wasn't it? Could she do it? Could she be someone like Motoko-Sempai who could, with a swing of her katana, protect those she held close?

"…_only if you promise to try to be like that man…"_

…she had promised, hadn't she? That she would try: to be like sempai, to have a goal, to become strong like Louise.

"_Be like sempai…"_ And her sempai never broke a promise.

"I will buy it." Shinobu spoke with a finality and determination that honestly surprised Louise.

"Excellent! And don't worry about the money, you can take it for free. See it as an apology for the inconvenience you had to pass."

Louise eyes narrowed at the man _"Wasn't that sword the cause of our inconvenience?" _Yet she held no protest as the weapon dealer proceeded to retrieve a sheath for the weapon and they exited the store. Enough events for today, time to get back to the academy before it became late.

Holding sword in front of her, Shinobu smiled at her new friend. "Nice to be your partner, Derflinger-san."

"Likewise Partner! And call me Derf; the other way sounds too formal."

"Ok, Derf." The newly born swordsman smiled brightly; to Louise, to Derf and to herself. Inside her, that feeling of power and familiarity grew more. _"Maybe like this, I will manage to become more like sempai."_

**DIVISION**

"You want me to do what?" A few hours after returning to the academy and already more issues came up. Both master and familiar sat together in Louise's room as the sun was beginning its set, filling the scenery with golden orange light.

"Help me get Siesta back, please." Shinobu had learned upon arriving to help out at the kitchen that her maid friend had been appointed as the personal servant of a royal messenger: Count Mott. At first, she believed those were good news; a better job meant a better pay for Siesta to help her striving family back at Tarbes.

Then, she was told the cruel truth: the Count had not chosen Siesta because he believed her to be capable, but because he found her beautiful; an object of lust. Apparently, when a noble asked a young girl to work for him, and even called the maiden by her name, it meant said girl was meant to become the noble's lover.

And the girl couldn't refuse.

Siesta had been forced to become the Count's mistress.

Louise felt like rubbing her temples. She had put up with Shinobu hugging her while they slept; bought the girl a brand new bed that was currently placed parallel to her own; held her complains as the sentient sword with the rotten tongue came to live with them; and now she was being asked to go knock at a royal officer's door, during late hours, to ask him if he could return a maid to the academy?

Surely Shinobu couldn't ask more of her; but she did. As such, Louise ended up silently listening as the girl explained her everything she had been told by the serving staff at the academy.

"I see, so she was personally called by the Count Mott." Shinobu nodded. "And you want me to help you get to his mansion and bring the maid back." Another nod.

Louise sighed at her familiar's request and crossed her arms, knowing it was a lost cause. "Is this Siesta really that important? The Count won't be willing to give her away. I think it will better if you just…" She was about to suggest her to let it go and forget about the maid when Shinobu gave her a pleading face that even the coldest of hearts would have a hard time refusing.

The noble winced; how could a pair of round, crying eyes hold so much power that Louise own resolve quivered? Must have to do with the age factor.

Averting her eyes thanks to the guilt, Louise answered back in a low tone, not really trusting in her voice anymore. "Why do you care so much? She is just another commoner."

"But she is my friend; I don't want that to happen to her!" Shinobu continued to beg; it was all she could really do. She didn't know where the mansion was, and even if she did what course of action would she take? Enter by force and take Siesta away? She couldn't do that.

It wasn't in her nature; and she hated it.

To be like that: unable to help Siesta, depending on Louise and causing her friend even more trouble; was really awful. She felt powerless, impotent…

Weak.

When had all the strength she had mustered at the weapon shop gone to?

"_Her friend…" _That was right, Siesta was Shinobu's only friend besides Louise; no wonder she worried so much. It was, after all, natural for Shinobu to worry; it was a sign she cared. _"She only has the two of us as friends."_ Hard as it may sound, Louise admitted that the loss of the maid would probably deal a hard blow to her familiar's mood.

Sighing, Louise saw no better option. As bothersome as it would be to help the maid, the noble held her friendship with the familiar girl on a higher regard than her personal comfort. "Fine, if you want it so much we can go get Siesta back."

Relief came to the familiar as she heard those words. For a moment she had thought her master wouldn't comply; she would have been lost had such a thing happened. "Thank you Louise!" She the remembered something the noble had said before. "Will it really be that hard to convince the Count?"

"More or less. He is very arrogant and self-centered, more than the average mage. Even a family like Guiche's has trouble dealing with his attitude. Not only that, but he has an overall good influence in politics."

Shinobu lowered her head, her hopes beginning to fade to oblivion; seeing this Louise was quick to add: "But there should no problem. I know how to deal with people like him."

"Really?" Was the hopeful reply.

"You have my word, now come. The mansion is to the west; if we go by horse we can arrive in less than an hour." Making her resolve to aid Shinobu, Louise stood up and began to walk towards the door, familiar in tow. The bluenette didn't mind riding by horse for the occasion; even if it meant an aching groin the next day. She was doing it for Siesta.

One had to help friends in need after all.

**DIVISION**

"Tell me Siesta, have you managed to cope with the work?" Inside his private studio Count Mott gazed lustfully at his newly appointed maid, the commoner Siesta. She was wearing a red and white serving uniform that was clearly more intended in amplifying her features rather than keeping her modesty. He had called her specifically to be his lover and satiate his craving for her and had no shame in admitting it.

"Yes, I somehow have." She responded in a soft tone. There was no mistaking the resignation in her voice as she addressed the noble. Resignation to a role she had never chosen and that she was going to despise yet had to face. He knew it, she knew it; there was nothing to hide.

Better go with it until the Count got tired of her, then everything would have ended.

"Don't demand yourself too much Siesta." The noble stood up, and in a fashion akin to that of a predator he placed himself behind the maid. "After all, I didn't call you here for this kind of conventional tasks." He whispered seductively in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Hard as it may have been, Siesta managed to remain composed even as a deep blush spread through her face.

Grinning, the royal messenger Mott moved his hand to…

There was a knock on the door. "My lord, there is someone here who requests your presence." And the Count felt like ripping the guard's head apart.

"Who dares interrupt me?" He asked wanting to know who was responsible for ruining the mood.

"The daughter of Duke Vallière, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière." Hearing the name, the anger and irritation gathering inside the noble dispersed. Why had a noble like a Valliére come to his mansion?

Wondering, he stepped through the door and into another room, this one full of books for him to read to pass the time. True to the guard's words, in front of him were not one but two girls. One was unmistakably the daughter of Duke Valliére; her uniform revealing her as a student of Tristan's academy of magic, thus being the younger of the three sisters. Her posture, proud and collected, was proper of a noble.

The other girl he didn't even bother properly look at. She was no wonder a personal servant of the noble.

"May I inquire, Lady Valliére, what brings you to my mansion at this time of the night?" The count asked that question with only a slight trace of annoyance in his voice; even if she had interrupted in the worst possible time her name required of him to treat her with respect.

"My familiar wishes to have a word with you Count Mott." The statement confused the water mage; a familiar having a word with him? As in pronouncing words instead of barks, growls, squeaks or whatever sounds the beast made? It was clear that both the guards present and the maid; no wonder ears dropping through the door; were confused as well, but he didn't pay them attention.

Then Louise nodded to her accompanying servant and she stepped forward, greeting him and giving an educate bow; this only helped confuse the Count further. "Emm…so-sorry to bother you at this hour, but I have a favor to ask of you, Count Mott."

The girl spoke nervously, afraid to say or do something to anger the noble. Good, that's the way everyone should talk to him. Losing his interest in the fact a human was a contracted familiar; the Count finally gathered his words. "And what is that you ask?" The sooner this was over with, the sooner he could go to bed with a certain maid.

"Could you…could you please return Siesta to the academy?" This caught the mage by surprise, not having really thought she was going to ask him to undo the one thing he wanted to do at the moment.

"No." The response was immediate; screw politeness for the time being, he had cravings to satisfy.

"Please?" She asked again in an ever more pleading tone.

"Siesta is now a servant of the Mott family; she is mine to do as I please and is to remain here for the time being." He said with finality, once again showing no shame in admitting his intentions with the maid.

"But it's not fair, she can't say no to you." Shinobu tried to find something to say that would make the noble change his ideas; as if stating a known truth would cause him a change of heart.

"So what?" The Count arrogantly replied, making Shinobu flinch at the tone. "Listen girl; just like it is an honor for you to serve the Vallière family, it is an honor for a commoner like Siesta to serve a prestigious noble like me."

"B-but I…I…" Seeing that her friend had ran out of things to appeal to, Louise decided to help. There was one thing that would allow her to convince the Count despite his negations; the one thing she could always take pride for: Her name.

"Count Mott." Louise began, interrupting her stuttering friend and stepping forward. "I know that if you had a talk with me we could reach an agreement that could satisfy us both."

At this the Count raised an eyebrow. In part he was surprised a noble of renown would do this much for a mere servant, but mostly his surprise was due to the method the girl was using. Appealing to her name was certainly a good method of negotiation, and he in fact had a use for such method.

At her proposal the noble smiled. "Indeed Lady Valliére, I think we could reach an agreement. If you could step through here please, we could discuss this in private."

A nod and an assurance to her friend that she would handle everything, Louise did as she was asked, leaving Shinobu alone along the guards.

After a while, the bluenette sighed. All that trouble getting here and yet she could do nothing without Louise. No matter how much she wanted something, it was always Louise or someone else who bothered doing what she didn't dare do.

Why was she like that? Always afraid to do something about the matter. Her fiend was in need and all Shinobu could do was beg to her master. She felt so…

Useless.

"_If someone else was here…" _That was true; if someone else was in her shoes there was no wonder they would do a far better job.

"_If Motoko-sempai was in my place everything would be all right."_ Vile male, I won't let you have your way into this fair maiden! She would say, swinging her sword with grace to defeat anyone who dared stand against her and rescuing Siesta.

"Or sempai…" Keitaro too; he would never give up, he would never back down and definitively he would never let the Count do _that_ to Siesta. He would stand any sort of punishment and still go on.

Yes, her sempai would do that.

But Shinobu was not Keitaro, nor was she Motoko. She was no warrior; even with a sword like Derflinger she couldn't muster the bravery to use it. She was just a girl. _"A stupid, cowardly little girl." _

How could someone like her even call Louise a friend? Even if she brought her here, from the very beginning she had been supporting Shinobu: Defending her from Guiche, ensuring her comfort, aiding her take Siesta back.

Shinobu was no hero. She couldn't protect those close to her, she couldn't even protect herself; and hard as she try, she couldn't fulfill the promise she made Louise. She would never become someone like her Sempai. After all…

She was weak.

So inside was Shinobu in her thoughts that she barely noticed Louise and the Count exiting the room, thanking each other for their time and the guards escorting the two of them along a very relieved Siesta outside. She wasn't paying attention as the maid wholeheartedly thanked her, nor when Louise asked if she was okay; she simply replied everything was alright, making it obvious it wasn't.

And so, the three girls mounted their respective horses and began their trip towards the academy, oblivious to the fate that awaited their arrival.

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><p><strong>AN: So, there you go. As I received a lot of questions from last chapter I will take my time to answer them here.<strong>

**1) Louise's attitude: Many mentioned the way Louise acts with Shinobu as a bit out of character. I can't really say it is or it isn't since I'm not the creator of these characters, but here is my reason for our petite mage to act like that: Shinobu breaks the stereotype of familiar in the Zero no Tsukaima fanfics. In almost every fanfic I have read in which another person, beast, god or whatever besides Saito becomes the familiar there are common factors. First of all the familiar tends to be male. Second, he shows some sort of emotion or atitude that gives no place for pity, like confidence in his abilities or defying Louise's orders. And third, most of them are able to defend themselves. Shinobu on the other hand is a 13-year-old girl lost in an unknown world, who is told she is to be a servant of some stranger and gets her first kiss robbed; as Louise doesn't have a heart of stone like her mother she feels pity and guilt for Shinobu's situation, thus not acting like a bossy noble and even defending her from Guiche's abuse.**

**2) Shinobu's attitude: Shinobu is a sweet girl that can be more mature than most people her age, sadly this feature of hers isn't shown unless the situation is serious or demands for it, and since Love Hina is a comedy and harem series...well you get the point. Being brought to Halkeginia will force her to grow up faster than she would do in Japan, as is shown in this chapter where she berates herself for being weak, not being able to save Siesta by herself. Next chapter will be the point in which she begins to turn into a true hero. How? Well: Even if I used Siesta's anime-exclusive problem here I am following the light novels with this fic, and for those of you who have read them too: what happens the night Derflinger is bought?**

**3) Magic: Before you ask, yes, I'm going to make Shinobu cast magic. How? Well in case you don't know or don't care, all works of Ken Amatsu take place within the same universe; as of that I will particulary mention the series Magister Negi Magi, in which it is shown everyone can cast magic with the proper training. Result: Shinobu is magic-capable. Which elemental affinity do you think she would use?**

**4) Kirche and Tabitha: Even if it will be clearer in later chapters than in this one, Kirche's, and thus Tabitha's, participation will change drastically, mainly because Shinobu isn't someone the tanned Germanian would have as a love option. Without her following them in an attempt to win Saito and thus never forging a friendship with Louise, things will change.**

**That's all for now. Have anymore questions? Ask them in the Reviews. I will be posting this notes at the end of each chapter to explain the changes from cannon and the reasons behind them.**

**Well, that's all for now. Have a nice day and until next time.**

**Peace.**


	4. Chapter 3: Hate and Sorrow

**AN: Okay, sorry for the delay. Had to study for the mid-term exams. Damn those things. Anyway, here is it, the thrid chapter and the longest I have ever written. Hope you enjoy it. Also, make sure to read the comments at the end in case you have doubts or complaints about the way the story is progressing; this chapter will be a mayor turning point from cannon, as you will soon see (well, read).**

**On a final note: Please Review, even if it is only to compliment or insult me (Hopefully there would be more of the former than of the latter.)**

**With nothing else to say/write, ladies and gentlemen, the thrid chapter: Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own neither Love Hina nor Zero no Tsukaima.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Hate and Sorrow<strong>

The trip back to the academy was silent for the most part of it. Both Louise and Siesta could see something was wrong with Shinobu; the girl seemed regretful and depressed, not even complaining at the fact the horse ride was paining her greatly. Two rides on top of the crotch-killers in just one day can be a painful experience.

Yet the bluenette didn't show signs of caring about her comfort, too caught in her guilt to pay outside events any mind.

In the matter of an hour the trio of females arrived at the academy's gates, intent on finally turning in for the night after a rather tiring set of events. They left their horses at the stable and began parting ways; Louise and Shinobu towards the Fire Tower, where the female students slept, and Siesta to her recently unoccupied room inside the servant quarters.

Both Master and familiar walked without muttering a word. Louise wanted to know what was bothering her friend, yet restrained from asking out of politeness and the fact she had already asked the question before. Now all she could do was wait for the girl to openly reveal her problems, relying in that she had warmed up to Shinobu enough for her to trust the magi with her troubles.

Thankfully, the wait turned out to be rather short.

"Louise…" The familiar began, gaining the attention of a slightly relieved Louise. "…the Count, what did he ask you to do?" The pinkette noted her friend wasn't stuttering like she usually did. That could only mean two things: either she was too happy to be nervous, which was not the case, or the whole thing was seriously bothering her.

Louise felt like sighing. _"Figures, from all things she could be worried about she was wondering if she had caused me any trouble." _Not mentioning the fact that the girl in question had indeed disturbed her not-so-calm-thanks-to-a-certain-sword day with her request, she answered the girl. "He wanted me to make sure my Dad, a member of the Royal Council, gave him his full support on a request he will present before the council in a month."

"Really?" Even at her age, Shinobu knew that sometimes bad people tried to gain pleasure by forcing themselves on others. The Count was going to do it with Siesta, and for a moment Shinobu had feared her other friend had been given a similar request. Then again, she doubted Louise would agree to such a thing. "What request?"

"A petition to gain a rival noble's piece of land as a 'well-deserved' reward for his services as royal messenger. Just politics, don't worry."

"And will your father agree?"

"Maybe. I don't think he knows Count Mott personally, so it is most likely he will make the decision objectively." Looking at her friend Louise saw her put a nervous expression. It was no surprise, after all, if her father didn't support him Siesta would be taken again. "It's okay." Louise continued to try and calm her friend. "Even if the Count asks for Siesta back it is unlikely she will comply."

This caught Shinobu's attention. Didn't they make a deal? "Really? Why?"

"While you were staring into space during the trip back…" The girl winced as she heard that. "…I proposed to Siesta a job as my personal maid. She is now a possession of the Vallière family, and I doubt the count will start a fight with us just for a single maid."

That managed to ease Shinobu's worries. From her chats with Siesta and Louise she knew the Vallière were a very powerful and respected family of nobles in Tristain. Even if they mocked her, no one actually wanted to mess with Louise due to her family's reputation; especially her mother's.

She sounded very, VERY scary.

"Thank you Louise." The bluenette once more thanked her friend, if only to show she felt a little bit better. By now it was an automatic response, she thanking Louise for her help again.

"It's…" The mage's response was cut short as a loud noise assaulted the girls' ears.

The splitting of rocks echoed through the night and the earth trembled slightly as something continually impacted against it over and over. Taken by surprise Louise remained dumbfounded for a few seconds before her body tensed. The crumbing sound of rocks cracking and shattering wasn't supposed to be there, and the noble knew immediately something wasn't right.

Looking towards the source of the disturbance, Shinobu felt all color leave her face as she gave a gasp. A few meters away from her an enormous monster made entirely of dirt and rock punched the walls of the academy, filling the air with the snapping sound of rocks every time a fist connected with the structure.

The first few days the bluenette found out about how little dolls known as Alviss came to life during the night and began dancing in the hall. At first it had sounded scary to her, some of the Halloween movies she had witnessed at Kitsune's urgings coming back to her. One night though, she decided to see for herself out of curiosity and found the scene to be more exciting than creepy; she was even invited to dance by one of the male dolls. Right now, Shinobu wanted to believe that this golem too was just another magical aspect of the academy, that there was nothing to fear of its enormity and strength.

Glancing at Louise tough, denied her hopes. It was clearly written all over the noble's face: there shouldn't be any golem there.

**Division**

Frustration was an emotion rarely felt by Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt; she was used to having her robberies be smooth and fast. This time, however, the situation was very different. Her triangle class magic didn't work with the square shield around the academy, so no alchemy. As such, she was forced to use her dirt golem sending stealth to hell, and even then the walls weren't giving signs of cracking or even weakening. Worst of all, if she didn't hurry not only would the chance to get the Staff of Destruction be lost, but she could also get caught and then her cover would be blown.

As if to confirm her fears an audible gasp echoed through her golem's barrage of fists, barely reaching her ears. Turning towards the sound her eyes fell upon two girls, most likely academy students; her faces were full of surprise and fear, and they were right to feel that way. Now that they had seen her Fouquet couldn't let them go around alerting everyone.

Time to silence the witnesses.

Louise felt the shaking of her body increase as the thief turned their attention to them. It was obvious the culprit hadn't wanted to be seen and was now going to get rid of them. Even as fear assaulted her, Louise's duty forced her to react. She was a noble and an academy´s student. It was her responsibility to handle the situation; a noble that ran from its duty wasn't a noble.

Turning around, the pinkette ran to put as much distance as she could between her and the golem. Due to its slow steps, Louise calculated that she could finish the incantation before it closed on her. Closing her eyes and focusing, she began casting "Fireball"; even if nothing came she could use the imminent explosion as an attack.

Shinobu for her part was frozen in place. Every single neuron in her brain told her to run as far and fast as she could, to escape. Yet, her muscles didn't respond to her commands; she was in shock. As Fouquet commanded the golem to go for her, the massive body of rocks began walking; and with every step it took, the weaker and weaker Shinobu felt.

"What's the matter Partner? Move!" From its sheet, Derflinger tried getting its wielder´s attention. Shinobu didn't know if it was because of her sword, survival instinct or something else, but she suddenly felt a thug as if something invisible was trying to make her stand up. It had been weak, but it was enough to make the familiar regain her bearings.

Like Louise did before her, Shinobu ran with all her might to get away from Fouquet. The girl might have not been the best at sports, but her daily chores at the Inn and the continuous climbing of the long stair flight at the Hinata doted Shinobu with an averagely good stamina. She didn't dare look back towards the golem, but as the sound of its steps didn't lessen Shinobu guessed she wasn't putting any distance between herself and the monster.

As she passed besides Louise she came to a halt. "Louise! What are you doing? We have to escape!" But her friend didn't listen; she remained standing in place, eyes closed in focus and wand raised. It was obvious she was casting a spell; that didn't make Shinobu any calmer. The bluenette didn't doubt the power behind the explosions that came after her friend´s incantations, but she highly doubted they would have much effect on the enormous pile of dirt.

A second later and Louise had her spell ready; aiming with her wand she prepared to release her magic. The best she could do was strike the caster of the golem, that way he or she was most likely to lose control over the mount of dirt. "Fireball!" As usual, nothing came; shortly after an explosion rocketed the air, missing Louise's objective by far and instead striking the academy's wall.

Haven't been stopped by the girl's efforts, Fouquet quickly caught up with them and signaled the golem to attack. Louise closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable. The golem was too close to escape now, and she didn't have time to complete another incantation.

An enormous fist of clay rose into the air ready to come down at any moment.

For Shinobu time seemed to slow down as she saw how the golem prepared to strike her friend. Even its fist was bigger than any of them; there was no way Louise could survive the impact. Before, when it had been her own life on the line, Shinobu had been scare frozen; now that it was her friend in danger, the girl reacted immediately.

Taking hold of Derflinger's hilt, the bluenette unsheathed the sword. There was little she could do against the monstrosity; but maybe, if she could bring herself to feel the same surge of power she felt back at the weapon's shop, Shinobu would be able to save Louise. And like she expected, the moment the blade was drawn the runes on her left hand shined brightly once more. Suddenly she didn't feel weak anymore, the almost-addicting sensation filling her with energy.

Dashing, Shinobu reached her master before the golem could bring its fist down on her. Using the momentum she had the bluenette shoved Louise to the side, pushing her to the ground. Now she stood before the enemy in place of the mage.

The familiar prepared to defend herself, holding Derflinger in front of her vertically: one hand holding the hilt, the other at the back of the sword to support it. This was what her newfound swordplay experience told her was the best defensive maneuver she could take at the time; there wasn't even time to dodge.

The golem's fist came down on Shinobu, not even slowed down by the sword she carried.

What was as hard as a ton of bricks impacted against the girl.

Everything went black.

**Division**

Louise watched, her eyes widened in shock and terror, as her familiar was punched by a gigantic golem and hurled through the air. She landed several feet away from the thief, rolling once or twice before finally stopping.

She didn't stand up.

Upon closer inspection one could see a trail of red that stained the girl's flight trajectory.

"Shinobu!" Louise shouted, tears forming at the end of her eyes; to save her life Shinobu had taken the attack for her.

Not even bothering to pay attention to the pinkette, Fouquet instead focused on the newly formed crack over the castle's walls. Where her massive golem had failed with physical force, the errant spell from one girl had succeeded. Truly, the thief had to admit to herself, that was an interesting result. Not giving much importance to it though, Fouquet morphed her golem's fist into steel and stroke right at the rupture's center, collapsing the wall.

With a victorious smirk, she jumped inside.

Louise's worry and dread for her familiar's condition turned into rage; rage directed towards Fouquet. Not only had the thief irrupted into the academy and tried to steal from it, but she also dared attack her and her friend! She was not getting away with it!

Gripping hard her wand, the magi turned once again towards the golem and reinitiated her assault on it, deciding to use faster incantations. Albeit quickly casted, the resulted explosions were smaller and weaker than the first. Without Fouquet inside her visible range, Louise instead released her explosions randomly around the golem's surface.

Some of them missed, some of them hit the enemy, but none seemed to cause any visible effect. With each impact, small flints of rock fell from the golem, otherwise there was no real damage; the blasted thing didn't even pay her attention! It was more focused on waiting for its creator to come out the vault.

The more she casted the more exhausted Louise felt, yet still refused from giving up for the sake of her revenge. Finally, Fouquet came out the vault holding the dangerous Staff of Destruction in her arms. The thief now out in the open, Louise's attacks found a new objective, yet none of the hit; Fouquet didn't even have to dodge, the noble girl's accuracy being off.

Inscribing a mocking message on the wall's surface, the culprit turned to leave. She shrugged Louise continuous spells like flies, ignoring them in favor of escaping as soon as possible. Entering into the forest, the massive golem crumbled into a pile of dirt, Fouquet disappearing into the night.

Her enemy gone, Louise cooled down from her previous outrage; the anger and rage that had overtaken her finally subsiding. Suddenly remembering her friend, the mage dashed to her friend and knelt by her side. Shinobu's eyes were closed, and a red liquid oozing from her forehead. Her body was filled all over with wounds and scratches, and for a moment Louise feared the worst.

Tentatively, as if touching the girl too strongly would shatter her like thin crystal, the noble placed two fingers of her friend´s neck and searched for a pulse. And then, after some seconds without response, a weak pulse was felt; that was enough for Louise to regain some hope.

"Help! Anyone! Please, help! A water mage, we need a water mage here now!" Louise shouted into the night while at the same time she tried to carry Shinobu's broken body. Inside the tower people ran around in panic, not knowing entirely what had happened but realizing it was bad.

Siesta, having heard the commotion and then the sudden collapse of the tower's walls, ran towards the scene of the incident to see what had happened. Her ears were suddenly reached by the shouts and pleas of her new noble master, desperately asking for help. Finally able to make Louise's silhouette in the distance, the maid closed to see what was the matter. Her eyes fell upon a broken and bleeding bluenette girl: Shinobu.

Gasping at the shocking scene, Siesta hurried towards Louise's side to try and save the familiar's life.

**Division**

Just once had Shinobu tasted alcohol in her life. It had been during one of the many parties at the Hinata Sou, Kitsune deciding to welcome her into the world of sake by mischievously pouring her bottle's contents into the punch. As the bluenette was a terrible drinker, one sip was all it took for her to get drunk; and to top that off, during her dizzy state she decided the grape punch was her favorite and continued drinking from it all night long.

Shinobu woke up the next day with the king of all hangovers torturing her with a brain-splitting headache. She didn't remember what had happened the previous night, and even now didn't want to remember. After making sure that there wasn't any tattoos, piercings or anything that shouldn´t be there in her body, as well as checking that everything that SHOULD be there WAS there, Shinobu vowed never to touch alcohol again.

Even until the present time she continued to hold that vow true.

However, she didn't think she would suffer a headache of that intensity again.

That morning her expectations were proven useless as the old head-splitting pain came back threefold. Her eyes protested as light landed upon them from the window. Her ears picked up unbearable sounds, a simple step sounding like a drum being tamboured besides her ear. Her whole body felt weak and limp, it felt uncomfortable and protested each time she tried to move. Due to her incapacity to do anything at the moment, Shinobu decided to lay back and wait for the aching to disappear.

Minutes passed and her mind became clearer and clearer; one whole hour later and she was finally able to bear the light and sounds around her. Opening her eyes she scanned the room she was currently in. Judging by the walls and the roof, the bluenette guessed she was inside the academy; such thing was confirmed when looking out the window the castle's yard came into sight. She was laid over a single bed, curtains to her side and in front of her to give the familiar privacy. The arrangement reminded her of a hospital, and for a moment wondered how she had arrived there. That´s when she remembered:

A ride back to the academy, a guilt trip, a thief, a golem, a moment of fear and an attack.

Both Louise and she were attacked by a thief using a giant golem. She had tried to escape; her friend had tried to fight it. And then, before the mountain of rocks and dirt managed to land a hit on Louise, Shinobu took the blow for her. Looking back upon it, the bluenette felt a mixture of emotions. She wondered how she had managed to survive the hit; she was also worried for her friend. What had happened after she lost consciousness?

But most of all, and strangely enough, Shinobu had a slight feeling of pride. For a weak and cowardly girl like her, to take a blow knowing it could have probably killed her…

Right there and then Shinobu decided she liked the feeling; knowing she had done something to protect her friend. It wasn't enough to soothe her worries mind you, for all she knew Louise might have followed suit after her and was also injured or worse. Hearing a ruffling sound, her head turned towards the curtain in front of her bed being slide aside, from it Siesta emerged.

"Oh my! You are already awake." The maid sounded surprised, awakening more questions inside Shinobu: how long had she slept? Was she supposed to sleep longer?

"Siesta-Sempai. W-where am I? What happened with the thief? Is Louise okay?" Losing no time, the bluenette began bombarding her friend with questions. Siesta simply moved to sit on a chair besides her bed and offer her a glass of water. Drinking from it, Shinobu suddenly realized how thirsty she was.

"You are in the hospital Shinobu-Chan; they brought you here after you were attacked by Fouquet." That name sounded familiar. Wasn't that the thief the weapon dealer had told her about? The one stealing from nobles?

Ok, so she was in the medical wing of the academy. Next question. "What about Louise?"

The maid smiled reassuringly to her friend. "She is perfectly fine; after you fainted the thief ran away with a robbed artifact from the vault. No harm befell upon Miss Vallière."

Shinobu released a sigh of relief, so her friend was okay. Guess she could relax now. "Where is she?"

Siesta´s smile slowly dropped, substituted by a worry face. "Miss Vallière is on a mission outside the academy, she will come back soon after she has completed it."

A mission? As in a quest? Shinobu couldn't help but think of it all as a sort of RPG game. "What kind of mission?" More importantly, the way Siesta talked about it unnerved her a little.

The maid remained silent for a few minutes, debating whether to tell her the truth or not. Finally, she confessed. "She parted to retrieve the stolen item from the academy and to capture Fouquet."

Shinobu went pale. Louise had gone after the thief? She was going to fight that monstrous golem? She was going to die!

Against both Siesta´s and her body's protests, the familiar stood up from her bed and looked out the window. Sure enough, standing at the school gates and holding the reigns of a horse was Louise distinguished by her bright pink hair.

"Shinobu! Please go back to bed. Miss Vallière will be fine; she is accompanied by one of the teachers." Siesta pleaded, worried about the girl´s health.

Yet the bluenette didn't care for her health. She knew that if Louise went against the golem, even if helped by a teacher, she would die. After what she witnessed yesterday the girl simply couldn't see any way the thief could be beaten; it was a suicide mission!

"I have to help her." Shinobu's mind was racing, trying to think of a way to get to Louise. She wouldn't be any match for Fouquet, but if she got to Louise before the battle began she could try to convince her to turn back. The mage was a proud mage, noble and patriot, but even she must have enough common sense to realize it was a dangerous thing to do; surely no one would get mad at her for giving up, it was understandable. What were the teachers thinking when they gave her the mission anyway?

But before negotiating came catching up with her. Shinobu needed a means of transport and needed it now; as she didn't know of the mission´s location losing sight of Louise meant she wouldn't catch up in time. As the familiar struggled against Siesta's efforts to put her back in bed, her eyes landed upon an object leaning besides her resting place.

"Derflinger!" Shinobu said in relief, launching herself for the weapon. That was it! The reason she had survived the attack was because of Derflinger and the mysterious runes in her hand.

She needed it, that surge of power that enveloped her body every time she held the blade. Maybe it would also enhance her speed enough to reach Louise in time. "What's up Partner? Already going for more action?"

"Yes, we need to help Louise." Taking hold of the sentient weapon and unsheathing it, Shinobu was once again filled with a sensation of strength. The almost addicting feeling of power soothed her fears; before, she was afraid because of wanting to do something she didn't have the capacity for; but not anymore. Now she had power, the power to protect her friends. With that power she would no longer be the weakling others had to take care about.

"Okay then let's go!" Enthusiastically, Derflinger supported its wielders intentions. Once again, Shinobu felt a slight tug moving her body forward. Taking it as a sign she was ready, the bluenette started to run while ignoring Siesta´s attempts to stop her.

Sure enough, Shinobu found herself dashing through the halls and down the stairs at speeds she had never reached before. Her left hand shined brightly and Derflinger was held lowly and to the side, its blade downwards to avoid accidentally cutting someone. Wearing nothing more than a white hospital gown, her underwear and a few bandages, the sowrdsgirl dodged startled teachers, students and servants alike, not paying any mind to the questions her action were surely rising.

In a matter of minutes, Shinobu was at the yard and running towards the gate. There, at the distance, Louise and another figure were mounted in horses and riding away, the objective being Fouquet's whereabouts.

A second of doubt made the bluenette worry once more; she was faster than her average self, but would it be enough to keep pace with a horse? She didn't know how long the trip was, or if she would run out of energy.

In the end though, it was just a second. Shinobu reminded herself that her friend's well-being depended on her. Her body no longer ached, and even after running as fast as she had she wasn't even breathing hard.

She could do this.

Increasing the pace, Shinobu dashed forward and onto the woods, her mind set on reaching Louise.

An hour passed and she continued running, beginning to feel the exhaustion of the effort she was forcing on her body. The horses were no longer on sight, having proved to be faster than her and disappearing in the horizon some minutes ago; she could still find them though. The path Louise and the teacher had chosen wasn't regularly used as it went to a secluded part of the forest. As a result, Shinobu was able to pick the two almost parallel trails of footprints the horses' hooves had carved on the ground. Had the way been as transited as the one that went to the capital her clues would have been lost amidst the sea of similar marks on the road.

Shinobu lost track of time as she continued running, her bare feet stepping on dirt, roots and at times even pebbles; the girl didn't even realize her heels had begun to bleed. By now the girl was breathing hard, the surge of power still doing its magic yet not preventing the bluenette from feeling tired. Her heart was beating hard and heavily, yet she didn't stop. Shinobu no longer could get to Louise before she arrived at Fouquet's hideout, but if she hurried she might be able to rescue both her and the teacher and then run back and escape.

The familiar suddenly stopped.

A few meters from her, by the side of the road were the two horses whose trails she had been following. They had their reigns tied to some tree branches, no doubt being left there by her friend and her companion before entering the forest. Good, that meant they were close. The question now was where. Which side of the road had they entered to? Had they gone north or south? Where was the north anyway? Did it even exist in this world?

Shinobu's mind was beginning to panic, lost as to where her friend could be. Seconds passed and the bluenette opted for a random choice when she heard the all too familiar sound of an explosion filling the air. Turning her head towards the direction it came from, she saw a flock of birds flying away, sacred by the loud booming.

That was it. No one could make such a thing besides her master; which meant both good and bad news. On the plus side, if Louise casted it that meant she was still alive; on the other hand, that meant she was probably locked in combat with the monstrous golem.

Not losing any time Shinobu dashed towards the explosion, intent on saving her friend. For like seemed as endless minutes, she saw nothing but trees, bushes and roots. And then finally, the foliage parted and gave way to a clearing the size of the school yard. In the middle of it stood what once was an old house, its roof now missing for some reason. The most distinguished feature of the scene was the dreaded golem from the night before, standing near two small figures and not doing a thing.

Yet, what caught the eye of Shinobu was a kneeling Louise, bruised and exhausted; her head was bowed down and whether by fear or anger her shoulders where shaking. Towering above her was a green-haired woman with glasses Shinobu had seen around a couple of times. She was the principal's secretary, yet her name was unknown to the girl.

She was the professor Siesta had mentioned, the one accompanying Louise; but for some reason the bluenette found the expression on her face to be unnerving. It was a mocking smirk directed at Louise who still hadn't moved from her spot on the ground. The woman seemed to be speaking, yet the distance didn't allow her to listen to whatever she was saying.

An unsettling feeling grew inside Shinobu, and it wasn't exhaustion. Intuition, a small recognition something bad was going to happen. Wasn't the miss there to help Louise out? Why was the golem inactive? Why weren't they running while they could?

Slowly to prevent being noticed by the golem Shinobu began nearing towards the pair. Low mumbling noises reached her ears as she began picking the words being said. The closer she got, the clearer it sounded; through it all no one, not even the gigantic pile of stones, noticed her presence. The teacher had her back turned to her, Louise was still gazing to the ground and the golem made no reaction at all.

Eventually, she got close enough to hear what the woman was saying.

She didn't like what she heard.

"Seems like I no longer have a use for you. A pity." Longueville raised her wand and flicked it, causing her construct besides them to start moving. "Well then, guess it's time you say good-bye." She brought her wand down and pointed it at the shaking girl in front of her. Following the magical command, the golem began rearing its fist to strike the pinkette.

Shinobu´s eyes widened. Right then she realized the woman was the one controlling the golem, which meant she was Fouquet; no wonder it hadn't reacted at all at her presence. And if she also was the secretary then it meant it had all been a trap.

The bluenette's mind raced, her eyes fixed on Louise. Her friend wasn't moving except for the trembling of her shoulders; it would be pointless to escape anyway, the golem was too large to get out of its attack range before it struck. Shinobu kept her eyes locked on the magi, too shocked to do anything.

And then, unnoticeably for everyone save herself, Shinobu saw as a single tear rolled down Louise's check and dropped on the ground.

She was crying.

Instinct took over Shinobu as she jumped to action. "Nooooooo!" She screamed, getting the attention of both thief and pursuer. Louise looked up from the ground, her eyes wet and clear twin trails of tears staining her face; her eyes wide in shock at seeing her at the clearing. Fouquet meanwhile was stunned, too confident had she been on her superiority over the Vallière that she had dropped her guard and allowed the girl to sneak up from behind.

Shinobu charged, instantly closing the distance between herself and Fouquet. She didn't think, she didn't fear, she simply acted out of the instinct to protect Louise. Due to the thief's distraction the golem stopped before it began bringing its punch down on the petite girl.

She didn't give Fouquet any time to react. Derflinger held tightly, she thrust it forward.

The blade struck

**Division**

Louise stood firmly inside the academy's vault. Around her the teachers were discussing about the incident that had occurred; or rather, they were arguing on whom to blame the robbery. So far, Miss Chevreuse was the one that was winning.

The noble pinkette didn't really care about those things, her mind was elsewhere. To be precise, it was at the medical wing of the academy two floors up from where she stood, lying in a bed besides the window.

It was her fault.

Louise hadn't slept the previous night; instead she had sat besides her familiar praying for her to wake up. The scene from back at the yard replayed over and over in her mind; she foolishly fighting the thief, the golem about to strike her and then Shinobu taking the blow for her. It was on miracle alone the girl was still alive after being hit by tons and tons of rock. She had been close to lose her life; the girl had just lain in the ground unmoving, many of her body parts slightly twisted in ways they shouldn't be. And the blood…

Louise had spent the entire night besides her familiar, evidence of such thing being the bags under her eyes. She only slept for a few hours after all energy in her body had depleted, and even then she didn't think she deserved it. If she hadn't been so damn proud, so desperate to prove her worth to others; if she had run away like Shinobu wanted to, instead of staying behind and casting the failure of spell, her friend would be okay at the moment. She wouldn't be lying broken and bruised on a bed.

A voice snapped her back to the present time; it was the principal asking his secretary about the thief. As a witness of the incident, Miss Longueville gave her a description of a mysterious person that had been spotted near the woods, asking the magi if this was the man she had saw the night before. Remembering the black hooded cloak he or she had worn, Louise answered with an affirmative.

Once again the room filled with chatter, and the noble returned to her thoughts.

What was she going to do now?

Probably, the most reckless thing she would do in her entire life: try and catch Fouquet. The thief had broken into the vault of the academy, the academy _she_ was part of. He or she had stolen the Staff of destruction, an ancient artifact which name alone spoke of great chaotic power. Founder knew what a person like the 'Crumbling Dirt' would do with such power.

Louise couldn't allow such thing.

Her role as an academy's student dictated her to restore the name of the school she was part of; her position as a noble demanded her to bring this thief to justice; her pride as a mage wouldn't allow the humiliation Fouquet had put on her and on the institution to remain. But most of all, more than her title as noble, her role as student or her status as mage, Louise wanted revenge.

Even if her actions had led to the current state of her familiar, she wanted revenge on the one that had deliberately used a golem to attack her friend and had done so without the minimum amount of doubt or remorse. It was stupid, and reckless, to go after a dangerous mage she had proven incapable of defeating before.

But she wanted to; the pinkette wanted to prove her worth to others and to make Fouquet pay.

And so, when the principal asked who would be the one to go after the culprit, she was the only one in the room to raise her wand on volunteering. Many shocked faces turned to look at her, but the magi paid them no mind. Her gaze was focused on the old man, waiting for his response; _daring_ him to say no.

Luckily for her, the old man held no objections. Some professors argued the decision, but when Osmond asked if they would rather take her place instead all opposition ceased; it was no wonder, these were all teachers not warriors, even if they were triangle class mages they weren't used to fighting. Fouquet was.

Louise fought hard to keep her nervousness in check; she still stood a chance, if she managed to strike the thief atop the golem with her explosions surely Fouquet wouldn't be able to keep her focus on the spell. Not showing the slightness of fear in her face, the noble girl waited patiently as the principal _tried_ to compliment her with praise of her achievements; achievements yet to come; and assigned Miss Longueville as her partner during the mission. It brought some relief to Louise, having the secretary as support was a welcome surprise.

With nothing left to do at the moment, the teachers left the vault. Deciding to meet at the school gates in half an hour, Louise and Longueville parted ways temporally to take care of some businesses. In the pinkette's case, hers was waiting outside the room in which the meeting had taken place. "How did it go, Miss Vallière?"

Siesta addressed towards her with respect and politeness, as expected from her newly appointed personal maid. "As I expected it to go." The noble answered, her voice concealing the nervousness she felt because of her task. She knew the maid wanted to know more about the affair, after all, it was too her friend who was currently injured. Besides, if Shinobu woke up while she was gone it would be better for Siesta to explain the situation to her. "Siesta, I´m assigned to capture Fouquet and retrieve the Staff of Destruction."

To say the maid was surprised was an understatement; her face jerked up at the mention of her mission, and worry filled her gaze. It wasn't that strange due to the situation, Louise had just admitted on planning the pursuit of the very criminal who almost killed her familiar. Yet, she did not speak; as much as she was against the idea, it wasn't her place to oppose a noble let alone her new mistress. "I see." Siesta replied calmly.

"I will be accompanied by the principal's secretary, and it's probable it will take me a while to accomplish the mission." Louise mentioned her escort more because of Shinobu than the maid. If she was to hear about her intentions she was sure to be in danger of a heart attack; maybe by mentioning the fact Louise wouldn't go alone Siesta could calm the girl down. "I want you to take care of Shinobu while I am gone, understood?"

"Yes, Miss Valliére." Siesta bowed politely and awaited for her dismiss.

"Very well, then I will prepare for the mission. You are dismissed for now." Bowing once again, the maid turned around and began walking to the infirmary, intent on checking on her friend. Louise wanted to do so as well, but had other things to attend to at the moment. Taking one last breath to calm her nerves and steel her resolve, she began walking towards the gates.

With each step she took, her doubts on the matter increased.

But as such, the more she advanced, the more the magi wanted to make Fouquet pay.

Half an hour later Louise stood outside the academy, the horse she had retrieved from the stables besides her. Miss Longueville arrived on time and, after setting the direction they had to travel to, both began their trip, oblivious to the girl chasing behind them, desperately calling for Louise's name.

The trip was a silent one; Louise had too much on her mind to strike up a conversation, and apparently, so had Longueville. For hours they rode towards the small cottage, not once seeing any other traveler on the road; it wasn't a surprise, these were the parts Fouquet had been sighted on and no one wanted to cross ways with the thief.

Eventually, Longueville stopped her horse and so did Louise. "From here on we will have to travel by foot." The secretary said, and the noble nodded. That meant they were close to their destination, and as such close to the "Crumbling Dirt". They stepped down their horses and tied their reigns on the nearby trees, ensuring the animals would be there when they came back.

They exited the main road and entered the forests besides; making their way through roots, bushes and branches, both student and secretary eventually arrived on a clearing. It was an expansive one as big as the Vestry Court back at the academy. On its very center stood an old-looking cabin, obviously the one Fouquet was hiding at.

Keeping silence both Longueville and Louise hid behind the bushes. For some minutes they just observed, waiting to see if there was any activity. With any luck, Fouquet would be out for the moment while the staff remained locked inside. Yet there wasn't place for relaxation; no self-respected culprit would leave their gains without a sort of protection. They would have to look out for traps.

As it seemed there was no movement inside the house, both mages began nearing the cottage while wary of traps and detection. Once in the front door Louise peered through the window and so no one, giving the signal for Longueville to enter. After a few seconds in whom the secretary scanned for magical traps, it was proved to be a safe and unprotected cabin. It surprised the noble quite a bit that the task seemed to be an easy one, but she ignored those thoughts in favor of looking for the Staff of Destruction.

It took a few minutes of inspection to find the container of the staff, and it took even less to open it to confirm the artifact remained inside; it did. Louise couldn't begin counting her lucky stars at how easy the mission turned out to be; Fouquet wasn't at the cottage, not only that but he or she had left it unprotected, and most of all the Staff was left inside and had been easily found. And while the pinkette slightly regretted not being able to make the thief pay for the injuries Shinobu sustained, she was at least going out of this unscratched.

Or so she thought.

"This is it! We got the Staff of Destruction." Declared Louise victoriously to her companion, who had remained by the door on lookout while she inspected the cabin.

"It seems so." The secretary replied calmly, her smiling face concealing her true feelings. "It´s quite the strange staff, don't you think? I had never seen foci with such a shape or made of that strange metal."

"Yes, I guess it is an unusual staff, but I guess it is proper for an ancient artifact to be unique." The girl replied affirmatively, all the while eyeing the artifact with curiosity. "But that's beside the point; we have to return it to the academy."

"Yes, we have to, but first you should figure out how to use it." Slowly, the soft smile Longueville once wore on her face changed into a more malicious one; Louise didn't notice this or the change of her voice.

"Huh? And why is that?" The noble turned towards the green-haired lady, whose front was turned to her as she continued observing the surroundings.

Longueville looked over her shoulder and towards the girl, the smile on her face now being one of malice and amusement. "Because Fouquet is here." She answered calmly; as if the idea of a powerful rogue earth mage catching them rummaging through its things wasn't alarming in the least.

Louise mind snapped to action, as she peered out the window to search for the culprit and prepare for combat. The mage saw nothing but the grass field of the clearing and the trees at its border, she did, however, feel the trembling of the ground as an unseen and massive creature got nearer and nearer to them. "Where is he?" She asked frantically, knowing that her only chance of survival was to strike Fouquet with her spells, not his golem.

"She." The secretary corrected, gaining once again Louise's attention and taking her wand at hand. "And she is right here." With evil in her voice and a flick of her wrist, a golem similar to the one before; several meters tall and made of dirt and stone; tore the roof open with its hands, making small pieces of wood to fall on the noble girl.

Louise shielded herself with her arms, protecting her eyes from the splinters of wood that fell all over her. Once a few seconds passed she dared lower her limbs to gaze at the towering figure of the golem, the roof still held in one hand. The magi stared at it for a short while, processing what she just had heard Longueville say and piecing the newly acquired information together. "You… you are Fouquet!" She turned towards the thief with wide eyes, shocked at the revelation.

Fouquet simply smiled knowingly. "Brilliant deduction girl. Seems that what you lack at magic skill you make up in intelligence." There was truth in her words, yet she pronounced them with the intent of mocking.

Slowly, very slowly, almost unnoticeably, the shock on Louise´s face began to recede. Longueville, no, Fouquet had been among them the whole time, disguised in her role as a secretary. The whole mission had been a truce; she didn't know what for, but the thief had purposely given her hideout's location.

_This_ was the "Crumbling Dirt" who had been terrorizing the nobles; _this_ was the mage who had attacked the academy; _this_ was the thief who had stolen the Staff of Destruction; _this_ was the woman who had attacked and injured Shinobu. And then _she_ had been the one to fool the principal, the teachers and Louise herself into believing her lies of innocence and setting up this whole mission.

Louise saw red.

From day one Longueville had been nothing but a liar, she had probably been planning on stealing the artifact since the beginning. Tricking the academy, stealing while under its employment; most likely keeping her loot at the school or using others as scapegoats; and almost killing her familiar. Those were things the pinkette wouldn't forgive.

For a moment, Louise forgot about her fear for the golem towering over her, of her worry for her friend's health, of the maid she had just employed and she even forgot about what her mission was about in the first place. Right at that moment Louise wanted nothing else but make Fouquet pay.

Building up her willpower, the magi went through the incantation so fast it sounded as little more than senseless burbling. She gripped her wand tightly and pointed towards Longueville, releasing the magic stored inside. Before it could connect though, a giant hand of dirt positioned itself between the foci and its target. The golem's entire limb exploded as a testament of all the power behind the spell, unfortunately the attack failed to even reach Fouquet, and due to its proximity the force of the blow knocked Louise off her feet.

"Eager to get started, aren't we?" Longueville had to admit that she was impressed. The whole hand of a triangle class golem had been turned to specs of dust. The girl may be a failure as a mage, but she had an amazing force behind her screw ups. After all, she had succeeded in one attack where her golem had failed after several. In fact, when it came down to deducing who could possibly know how to use the Staff of Destruction, the girl had popped up in her mind even before the principal himself.

_She did _destroy several school properties.

"As you wish, but if I were you I would use something a bit more powerful." It was just a tease, the explosion from just now was so strong she still couldn't use alchemy to restore it. The girl remained in the floor only for a second, immediately beginning to cast a second spell. Not willing to take an attack like that without protection, Fouquet jumped into her golem's hand-severed arm and began climbing up; rising a wall of stone once Louise launched the next explosion.

Once again, only dust remained of the former construction.

By this point Louise was panting; they had been only two spells, but she had poured almost all her willpower into them. Even so she couldn't stop, her attacks already proved capable of destroying the golem, all she had to do now was aim correctly and strike the woman. Or so she would have thought, had she not been so focused on simply blowing the thief into pieces.

The pinkette's anger was going beyond her fear for her own life, beyond her worry for Shinobu; it went beyond her duties as mage and noble, and far more than her childish quarrels with Kirche. It was a scornful rage; she wanted nothing more but to punish Fouquet.

And punish her would she do.

Fouquet once again flicked her wand to move her construct, signaling it to attack. She purposely slowed down the speed of the strike to give the girl enough time to take the Staff and dodge before returning to the incantation. It was her goal to force the girl into using the artifact, not kill her; well, do kill her but only after she got what she wanted. So far, the plan was going smoothly. Louise was lost in her rage, and most of the time states like those made people do things seemingly impossible; Longueville's gambit was to count on that loss of control to show her how to use the Staff.

As the third spell came, the thief transmuted the golem's arms into steel, raising them as to shield her from the attack. This time the limbs endured the strike, but didn't leave unharmed; a deep crater formed into the left arm of the golem, and once again Fouquet found it impossible to gather magic around the area to use alchemy. She was no longer in this though, all she wanted was a damn way to use the artifact, and with the current emotional state of the noble girl a small tease would suffice. "Is that all you got girl? This is a waste of my time." Once again slowing down the golem, she flicked the wand in her grasp to make it start walking forward, seemingly trying to crush the magi.

Louise was at her limit; three fully charged explosions had left her drained and panting heavily. On top of that she had been running around dodging the thief's attacks and she herself wasn't fit for that kind of physical exertion. Her anger calming down and reason once again coming back to her, she saw no other option but to try using the Staff of Destruction; with any luck it would end up magnifying her explosions to a point they would be massive enough to blow the entire thing up.

Opening the artifact's case and taking it into her hands, she tried pouring willpower into it. Longueville paused to see if it worked out, and was visibly disappointed when nothing happened after several seconds. Louise simply couldn't make the foci react, no willpower was entering it at all.

"Nothing huh?" Said Fouquet from atop the golem; well, it all turned out to be a big loss of time. Guess she would have to trust into the next group of students to come after her, and hopefully accompanied by a teacher. Maybe then would she be able to discover a way to use the artifact. "Too bad then." She signaled with her wand, and the golem raised its leg high into the air, shortly after bringing it down hard on the ground making the entire clearing tremble; as a result, the noble's already weak legs gave away and she fell to her knees.

Kneeled from the ground, Louise prepared for one last desperate attempt. Right at that moment, Longueville was coming down from the golem. Once she got close enough to her, she would unleash all her wrath and power left into the final explosion. Silently, she began gathering all willpower left in her drained body even as it protested and threatened to pass out. "Seems that you didn't learn your lesson from yesterday night. Guess that's all to be expected from the class failure." The secretary finally reached the ground as she finished her insult, fueling Louise´s anger even more.

"I had hoped you would be able to use the Staff, seeing as there is no one more destructive than you, but seems I was wrong. Silly me, to think this plan would work with someone who summoned such a weak and pathetic familiar-" That's as far as she got. So far the pinkette had endured several insults to her person, but when the thief began doing the same with Shinobu; the friend who had risked her life for hers; Louise snapped.

In one final burst of energy, she finished the incantation and raised her wand in a flash, pointing it to the smirking face inches away. Fouquet's surprise lasted only a second, as she quickly slapped the girl's hand away. Instead of releasing the explosion on Longueville's face, the attack detonated into the line of trees at the clearing's border, scaring away several birds and killing a few. The green-haired thief only gave an amused whistle. "Impressive, didn't know you had it in you to use such dirty tricks." She backhanded Louise on the face, throwing her to the ground. "If you weren't such a useless mage I might have taken you as an apprentice, but guess not. Too bad."

Weakly, Louise rose from the ground to her knees, head bowed down. She had reached her limit and had even gone beyond them; she couldn't even muster the strength to lift her face. Her anger finally faded away, and the adrenaline from before dropped leaving her with a terrifying sensation.

Fear.

For the first time since the beginning of the mission the weight of her mortality made itself present in the magi's mind.

She was going to die.

She was going to be crushed to death by a golem and die miles away from the few people she loved, alone. The thief was probably going to make up a half-assed story for her demise, and no one would ever truly know what had happened; Fouquet would go unpunished. The woman who had committed despicable acts such as stealing from nobles and injuring her friend was going to have her way, and there was nothing the noble could do.

Louise didn't pay attention as Longueville explained her plan to use her as means to discover how to use the staff, instead she drowned in her fear and anger; anger more at herself than her soon-to-be murderer for being so useless and impotent. Tears began to gather into her eyes; fantastic, she couldn't even bring herself to die in a dignified way.

As the culprit went on about her plans, Louise mind drifted elsewhere.

To a strict and disappointed mother, to a father that didn't recognize her achievements. Would they even cry? Was her mother capable of such an emotional feat? Of course not, who was she fooling? Her mother would stare disapprovingly at her grave, possibly thinking of how she foolishly took a mission too dangerous for her to handle. Her father would be outraged and surely demand a search for the murderer, but his grief would be more for the stained family honor than for her demise.

Her thoughts also drifted to an evil and mean elder sister, and to a much kinder middle sister. Eleanor would probably audibly berate her again, only keeping silence when in presence of Cattleya; the one person in her family Louise was sure would cry for her.

She also though of her fiancé; Viscount Wardes, the man she had harbored a crush for years back into her childhood. What had become of him? She hadn't heard of the man for almost half a decade. Would he cry for her? Even if the feelings Louise once had for him were no longer the same, she couldn't help but think how romantic it would be if he, in his sadness and anger, arranged a search party for the thief in an attempt to extract revenge.

Eventually her mind came to the academy she had just left a few hours ago. Her classmates, would they cry? No, they wouldn't. They would murmur among themselves, spread rumors of how it happened, feel pity for the tragedy and fear for Fouquet; but they wouldn't cry. They wouldn't care for her. Louise was sure someone would end up stating it was no surprise coming from the _"zero"_. Surely Kirche would find someone else to torment.

Her thoughts then went towards the palace, to her childhood friend. Princess Henrietta, would she care? Would she cry? Even after months of not seeing one another, the mage wanted to believe that she would. Her highness was always too polite to her, even more than what her title should allow her to. Louise would miss those days when the two played together childish games and fantasized of knights in shiny armor and noble princes proposing to them.

Siesta then came to her mind. The kind maid she had just helped the previous night. Would she care? Why was she even thinking about her? Even if she had only known her for some hours, Louise believed that she would be sad if only because of the pact Louise had made to safe her from count Motte.

Finally, she thought of Shinobu; her familiar, her second friend, the commoner she had summoned eight days ago. She…

Louise didn't want to think about her. She didn't want to think of her mortified face when she woke up without her around, or of her broken heart when she heard the news. She didn't want to, she wouldn't bear it.

"Well." After what felt like hours for the pinkette, Fouquet brought her mind back to the clearing she was kneeling at. The finality on that one last word had been enough for the noble to realize her time was up. It was the end.

"Seems like I no longer have a use for you. A pity." Longueville raised her wand and flicked it, causing her construct besides them to start moving. "Well then, guess it's time you say good-bye." She brought her wand down and pointed it at the shaking girl in front of her. Following the magical command, the golem began rearing its fist to strike the pinkette.

As she waited for the final blow, Louise only thought was of how she didn't want to die. She felt empty, like a cloud of nothingness spreading through her soul. She felt so cold, and alone; so empty, so hollow.

So void.

A tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the ground. It impacted in the earth and spread into several tiny droplets. She heard as the golem shifted once more, about to bring its arm down on her. She closed her eyes tightly.

That was when she heard it.

"Nooooooo!" The shout echoed through the clearing, and both females turned in astonishment to its owner. There, running towards Fouquet in an act of desperation, was Shinobu in nothing but a hospital gown and undergarments. She had Derflinger held tightly, and the runes in her hand shined brightly. She ran with a speed no human should possess, dashing through the yards in mere seconds.

The girl acted on pure instinct; her friendship, her own grudge against the thief and the runes of familiar telling her to protect her master influenced her actions. She didn't give Fouquet any time to react. Derflinger held tightly, she thrust it forward.

The blade found Longueville's chest.

The tip of the sword entered into the front and pierced swiftly through the body, exiting from the opposite side. Louise remained knelt on the ground shocked; Shinobu's actions just now slowly began to register into her mind. Then, as blood sprayed from the fatal wound and fell on both girls' faces, it finally clicked.

Shinobu had stabbed Fouquet.

"You…Bitch…" The thief tried to articulate more curses, but the blade had cut open her lungs and blood was pouring inside, making it impossible to keep talking as the red liquid rose to her throat. The woman tried lifting her wand, flicking it to at least crush the bluenette with her mighty golem, but she simply lacked the forces to do so.

Shinobu's hands trembled at the sight of what she had done, and in her horror she let go of Derflinger. Longueville stumbled some more trying to keep her balance, until finally the fatality of her wound made her blow her last breath. Lifeless, her corpse hit the ground, still impaled with the rusted blade.

The bloody figure of Fouquet lay motionless on the ground, and both girls just stared at it with disbelieving gazes.

Finally, Shinobu's eyes widened in terror, and she gave a horrified scream.

**Division**

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's it for now. I wanted to make a major convertion from the typical storyline this kind of fanfics follow, and decided this one was the one I preferred. If you ask me, had Tabitha and Kirche not been present during the incident, something similar might have happened, just a little less... deathly.<strong>

**Now, in case you have doubts about things in this chapter, I will explain my reasons:**

**In regards of Shinobu: As you may have noted this will be a turning point for her, the weight of taking a life severely affecting her character and innocent personality. No longer will she be a naive little girl; to survive in Halkeginia as a Gandalrf one has to be strong and that's what I'm trying to do with Shinobu. And as I don't want to make her too OOC, I needed a heavy event to affect her, and here it is. My apologies to anyone who disliked the idea of her taking a life.**

**As for her emotional behaviour in this chapter. I think that, if she was willing to get lost in Japan along a hyperactive madgirl just to find her Sempai; and a second time on the Parara-Godknowswhat island; she would be willing to exert herself as much as she did to save a friend in grave peril. Like I said last chapter, this characteristic of her isn't shown much because of the comical nature of Love Hina, but I think it isn't too out of character.**

**Finally, her physical performance. For anyone wondering how she survived a blow from a massive stone golem, recovered in one night and ran for hours nonstop to follow a pair of horses, here is my excuse: magic. No, seriously. The power of Gandalrf is powered by the emotions the familiar is feeling, as explained by derf in volume two of the novels. And few girls are as emotional as Shinobu. This doesn't make her invincible, and believe me she will suffer the consequences for pushing her body too far, but in her state as a Gandalrf she would be more than a competent fighter. For the sake of the story, bear with it.**

**And if you are wondering, yes, Shinobu will develop a dependence on the runes as they give her an escape route from her own weaknesses. While Saito is far more fit than Shinobu, I'm planning for her to eventually surprass him seeing as she will take as a personal goal to become stronger. And for those of you who could argue that a thriteen year-old couldn't possibly fight that way, remember that Naruto and co. are ninjas at the age of twelve; and instead of years of training and a demon fox, Shinobu has magical runes to help her.**

**Now with Louise:**** I think the only thing I should note about her is her emotional reaction in this chapter. Both in the anime and the novels she has proved to be brave; not backing down in her fights against Fouquet even when she knew she didn't have a chance in hell. What I will explain though is her anger outburst. When Saito got beat around by Guiche during the duel, she was clearly upset to the point of tears. In this ocassion however, instead of a pompous playboy her familiar was seriously injured by Fouquet in a deliberate attempt to take her life. Not to mention, that Louise's view of Saito and Shinobu differ greatly.**

**She sees Saito as a lover and an idiot, but also as someone strong who she believes is capable of defending himself. In turn, she sees Shinobu as a friend and a partner, but not as a warrior: even when armed with a sword she doesn't think her to be strong (and she is right). So, when her familiar was attacked by the golem, instead of feeling fear one would experience when seeing someone they consider strong so easily defeated, she felt anger at the despicable act of the thief attacking a defenseless innocent; add that to the fact Fouquet purposely provoked Louise and that she felt betrayal at Longueville's declaration of her true nature, and you got the outburst I recently wrote.**

**Hope no one has any real complaints about it.**

**Finally, Fouquet:**** You must have noticed how her actions in the chapter changed from her actions in other media. This time she didn't go around inspecting the surroundings simply because it wouldn't make sense for an older mage and woman to leave a student, one considered a failure, alone at the possibility of encountering a deadly mage. Besides, Louise was (Or suppodsely was) the only one she had to deal with so why hide? It wasn't as she had to be cautious around the 'Zero'. As for the whole thing of being caught by surprise by Shinobu, blame it to Monologing.**

**That's it for now, hoped you enjoyed it and once again, please review; for the blue numbers.**

**If you find any spelling mistake (And you will) please tell me. My beta is good at helping with advice on the plot development, but not in the chapter's grammar. Sorry dude but it's true.**

**Good day and Peace.**


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